DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS

2 Corinthians 1:8-11    (10/24)    Epistle for Saturday of the Twentieth Week after Pentecost

 

By Your Prayers: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, especially vss. 9-11: “...God Who raises the dead... delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us....”  A blessed custom among Orthodox with close friends in the Church, is to say to them, “By your prayers.”  For instance, a friend may say, “Have a wonderful trip,” to which this rejoinder is a most appropriate reply, for it signals agreement in the hope expressed, acceptance of dependency on God, a recognition of the need for prayers, and a request for them.  How much is packed in these three words, and how well they describe the message of Saint Paul to the Corinthians in this present passage!

                   The Second Corinthian Letter provides innumerable blessings for those who search out its Apostolic truths, despite the fact that Saint Paul alludes to experiences or events that were well-known to him and his to Corinthian readers, but remain unknown today.  True, we have his letter, but no other information concerning some events to which the Apostle refers, and the present passage has one of these indeterminable allusions.  Saint Paul speaks of a difficulty “...which came to us in Asia...” (vs. 8).  The word, “thlipsis,” in the original, may be translated as “trouble, affliction, distress, pressure, and trial,” yet the concrete nature of the Apostle’s difficulty is unknown, despite tantalizing clues.  For he speaks of despair “...even of life” (vs. 8), of the “...sentence of death...” (vs. 9), and deliverance “...from so great a death...” (vs. 10).

                   Was he speaking of serious illness, violent persecution, arrest and trial, or the possibility of a death sentence?  We simply cannot be sure, except to say it was serious and life-threatening.  No matter, for we are certain that the trouble was sufficient enough to call for prayers to God and the prayers of fellow Christians.  His message is timeless and pertinent for any one, at any time, anywhere.

                   The Apostle shows us that we should look on “close calls” as promptings to give thanks to God, “...who delivered us from so great a death....”  One translator renders the phrase as, “from so menacing a death” (vs. 10).  The point is that coming near death physically can be a gift from God to awaken us to the threat of tumbling into eternal, spiritual death.  We tend to be more sensitive to assaults by physical pain and death, but the Lord reminds us to “...seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness...” (Mt. 6:33), fearing “...Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28).  As Saint Nikolai of Zica reminds us: we can kill the soul by  pampering the body, allowing it to occupy “itself with love for worldly riches,” or “...stealing the time, care or toil that you should devote to the soul and [giving] them to the body.”

                   How frank Saint Paul was to recognize and admit his dependency on God for deliverance (2 Cor. 1:9,10).  Let us likewise affirm that deliverance from immediate trials in this life, as well as the gaining of eternal salvation, are graces from God.  In fact, God’s graces, our prayers, and the prayers of other Christians have great bearing both on eternal salvation and on deliverance in this present life.  It is prudent to seek the prayers of Christians of our generation, but, more so, to plead with the Saints of the Lord who surely “have His ear.”

                   The ever-present threat of death, physical and spiritual, ought to impel us to prayer for ourselves, and to seek the prayers of those who truly understand the nature of what we face while we remain in this life.  Turn to God earnestly “'...whom we trust that He will still deliver us...'” (vs. 10).  Also, seek the highly concerted help, “...together in prayer for us...” (vs. 11) of friends strong in faith, the Saints close to God, and especially the Theotokos and Mother of our God.  Indeed, heed Saint Paul and welcome the support of godly prayers from all true partners in prayer.

                   By the prayers of the glorious Theotokos and of all Thy Saints, guard our life, O Lord.

Return to the October Calendar