DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Saint Mark 1:29-35
(9/1-9/14)
Thursday of the Twelfth Week after Pentecost
Essentials for Ministry III ~ Healing: Saint Mark
1:29-35, especially vs. 34: “Then
[Jesus] healed many who were
sick with various diseases....”
The opening verses of Saint Mark’s Gospel record the initial
period of Christ’s ministry in Galilee, a ministry that continues within
the Church to the present. The
three events described in the present passage occurred during a sixteen-hour
period beginning on a Sabbath afternoon, continuing that evening after Sabbath
had ended, and concluding before daylight early on the first day of the week
(vss. 29,32,35). The Evangelist
includes time markers to call our attention to the relationship of what took
place both to the Jewish Sabbath and to the Christian ‘first day of the
week.’
A bit earlier, when Christ our Lord exorcised a man on the
Sabbath (Mk. 1:21-26), He set a notable precedent for His ministry: placing
human need ahead of pious practice.
His readiness to do so offended the Pharisees, whose strict
interpretation of God’s commandments defined casting out demons as
‘working’ on the Seventh Day (Mk. 3:1-6; Ex. 20:10-11). Clearly the Lord saw the matter
differently; as the Sabbath continued, He performed another physical healing
(Mk. 1:29-31). Then after Sabbath,
in the evening, when it was now “...the first day of the week” (Mk.
16:9), He administered more exorcisms and healings, revealing the primacy of
the first day and foreshadowing it as the ‘eighth day’ or the
eternity of the kingdom of God.
For the faithful, these events in the Lord’s early
ministry affirm healing as a core activity of the People of God. The Church is tasked with bringing the
sick before the Lord and serving as His eyes, voice, and hands for healing,
exorcism, and the keeping of vigils of prayer for the sick. Recall, for instance, how the Divine
Liturgy refers to healing and restoration: “...for the sick and the
suffering, for captives and their salvation....for Thou art the illumination of
our souls and bodies, O Christ our God.”
Observe: the people of Galilee brought “...all who
were sick and those who were demon-possessed” to Christ (vs. 32). Now, through the offerings of the Holy
Oblations, the names of family members, and especially the sick, are remembered
before the Throne of God. Also, as
the Holy Gifts are prepared at the Prothesis, the sick are remembered in
prayer. Many parishes maintain
prayer lists for the sick, both for Church members and non-members, for the
acutely and chronically ill. God
blesses the devout who faithfully intercede for the sick and who inform their
Pastors of sickness in families or among acquaintances. Ministry also continues as lay visitors
call on the sick and homebound.
Blessed are those parishes that hold vigils through the night to pray
before the All-compassionate One for their beloved sick.
Note how the Evangelist describes the healing of
Simon’s mother-in-law: the Lord Jesus “...came and took her by the
hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her” (vs.
31). We are created spiritual,
psychological, and physical, and sin ravages us in all these dimensions of our
being. The Lord Jesus affirms the
importance of physical means for ministering to those who are ill, no matter
the type of illness. Hence, in this
instance, He extended His hand physically to raise up Simon’s
mother-in-law (vs. 31).
The Church likewise uses many physical means to administer
the Lord’s healing to the sick brought before Him: our Priests lay their
hands upon those who are ill. They
minister the Holy Gifts so that the ill may be united to Christ. In Holy Unction, blessed oil is
used. In addition, God honors
ministry through holy water, crosses, relics of the Saints, icons, and loving
kisses.
O Lord, by Thy Word alone Thou didst cure the kinswoman of
Peter of her fever. Do Thou also
relieve Thy sick servants, sending upon them Thy mercy and granting them
health.
Return to the September Calendar