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orthodoxadventure · 1 year ago

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I don't usually do this sort of thing but its sort of an All-Hands-On-Deck situation. Please pray for the mother of my friend, She was diagnosed with cancer some time ago, but it has since spread to her brain.

Of course I will pray, may God bless her and provide her with healing and comfort. And may God also bless and comfort those family members, friends, and all those that know her who are also in pain and anxiety because of her suffering.

Under the Readmore, I have attached some prayers for those with cancer that you might find to be helpful. I would especially recommend looking into some of the Patrons associated with Cancer patients and asking for their aid. For example St. Parthenios, St. Nektarios, St. Panteleimon

Through Your illuminating and sanctifying Spirit, Lord, guide through medical science those who are seeking through studies to exterminate its wickedness, reveal to them the medicine and the way of healing, and grant strength to those who are suffering and patience and respite in their pain, rewarding them all with the healing of their soul and body, through the intercessions of our Most-blessed Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, the Life-Giving Spring, whose waters in the Queen City were poured over those who were sick with cancer and their suffering ceased, as well as those of our Holy Father Parthenios, Bishop of Lampakos, the holy, glorious and wonderworking Unmercenaries, the holy, glorious Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, and all Your Saints. Amen.

O Most-Pure Mother of God, O Queen of All! Hearken unto our much-afflicted sighing and look upon thy children, suffering from unhealed ailments, who fall down before thee with faith! As a bird covers its nestlings with its wings, so do thou now, who art ever present, cover us with thy greatly healing omophor in that place where hope be. There where bitter sorrows overcome us, there will patience and rest be revealed. Where the torment of despair dwells in the soul, there will shine the ineffable Light of Divinity! Console the fainthearted, strengthen the weak, bestow softening and enlightenment upon embittered hearts. Heal thine ailing people, O All-merciful Queen!

Bless the minds and hands of our physicians, that they might serve as instruments of the All-powerful Physician, Christ our Saviour. We pray that thou mightest truly live with us, O Sovereign Lady!

Stretch out thy hands, filled with healing and cures, O Joy of the sorrowful, Consolation in afflictions, that having speedily received miraculous help, we may glorify the Life-creating and Undivided Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Christ, Who alone art our Defender: Visit and heal Thy suffering servant [name], delivering her from sickness and grievous pains. Raise her up that she may sing to Thee and praise Thee without ceasing, through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Thou Who alone lovest mankind.

Lord have mercy. O Lord Almighty, the Healer of our souls and bodies, You Who put down and raise up, Who chastise and heal also; do You now, in Your great mercy, visit our sister (Name), who is sick Stretch forth Your hand that is full of healing and health, and get her up from her bed, and cure her of her illness.

Put away from her the spirit of disease and of every malady, pain and fever to which she is bound

If she has sins and transgressions, grant to her remission and forgiveness, in that You love mankind.

Yea, Lord my God, pity Your creation, through the compassions of Your Only-Begotten Son, together with Your All-Holy, Good and Life-creating Spirit, with Whom You are blessed, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

O Lord our God, Who by a word alone did heal all diseases, Who did cure the kinswoman of Peter,

You Who chastise with pity and heal according to Your goodness;Who are able to put aside every sickness and infirmity, do You Yourself, the same Lord, grant aid to Your servant _____________and cure them of every sickness of which she is grieved.

Send down upon them Your great mercy, and if it be Your will, give to _____________ health and a complete recovery; for You are the Physician of our souls and bodies, and to You do we send up Glory: to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Both now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen

O God, our help in time of need, Who are just and merciful, and Who inclines to the supplications of His people.

Look down upon ____________and have mercy on them and deliver them from the trouble that now besets them.

Deal with ____________ not according to their iniquities, but according to Your manifold mercies, for we are the works of Your hands, and You know our weaknesses.

I pray to you to grant ____________ Your divine helping grace, and endow them with patience and strength to endure their hardships with complete submission to Your Will.

Only You know our misery and sufferings, and to You, our only hope and refuge, we flee for relief and comfort, trusting in Your infinite love and compassion, that in due time, when You know best, You will deliver ____________ from this trouble, and turn their distress into comfort.

We then shall rejoice in Your mercy, and exalt and praise Your Holy Name, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit, both now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen

#Prayer #Prayer request #Prayer req #Urgent prayer request #urgent prayer req

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apilgrimpassingby · 10 months ago

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Alaska Native Orthodox Saints

St. Jacob Netsvetov, Enlightener of Alaska (1802-1864)

Feast Day: 26th July

The son of a Russian fur trader and an Aleut mother who was the first Alaska Native to become an Orthodox priest and spent the rest of his life preaching the Orthodox faith in Alaska; by the time he died, he had created an alphabet for the Aleut language, exorcised demons and baptised well over a thousand people. The full story is here.

Troparion: Righteous Father Jacob, adornment of Atka and the Yukon delta, offspring of Russian America, flower of brotherly unity, healer of sickness, and terror of demons, you offered yourself as a living sacrifice to bring light to a searching people. Pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved!

St. Olga of Alaska/Olga Michael/Olga of Kwethluk (1916-1979)

Feast Day: 10th November

A Yupik matushka (priest's wife) known in her village as a midwife, charity distributer and firm yet compassionate presence, canonised for the miracles associated with her post-mortem; in particular, a sexually abused woman who experienced a vision of St. Olga that proved particularly healing. The full story is here.

Troparion: By your righteous deeds, you were revealed to the world as an image of the perfect servant of the Lord in Alaska. By your fasting, vigil and prayers, you were inspired in your evangelical life. You fed the hungry, and you cared for the poor. You served as a midwife, and you brought babies into the world. You nurtured children, and you clothed all those in need. Now, O Holy Olga, you stand at the right-hand of Christ the Master, and you intercede for our souls.

St. Peter the Aleut, Protomartyr of North America (unknown - 1815)

Feast Day: 24th September

A young Suqpiaq ("the Aleut" is a misnomer by a monk who wasn't good at distinguishing Native groups) man who was one of the first converts to Orthodoxy in North America. He was captured by the Spanish in a raid, and tortured in an attempt to make him convert to Roman Catholicism; he refused, and the tortures eventually killed him. When St. Herman of Alaska (the chief evangelist of Alaska) heard the story, he cried out "Holy New Martyr Peter, pray to God for us!" The full story is here.

Troparion: Today Alaska rejoices and America celebrates, for the New World has been sanctified by martyrdom. Kodiak echoes with songs of thanksgiving, Iliamna and Kenai observe the Festival of Faith. The apostle and martyr Juvenaly is glorified and Peter the Aleut is exalted by his voluntary sacrifice. In their devotion and love for the Lord they willingly endured persecution and death for the Truth. Now in the Kingdom of Heaven they intercede for our souls.

Troparion for the Synaxis of All Saints:

Adorned in the blood of Your Martyrs throughout all the world, as if clothed in purple and linen, through them Your Church cries out to You, O Christ God: “Bestow Your bounties upon Your people, grant peace to Your habitation, and great mercy to our souls.”

#since i was a kid i loved reading about american indian culture #and now i'm orthodox i learnt they yielded multiple saints #and in alaska #the coolest of all the states #so i had to make this post #christianity #orthodox #saints

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anastpaul · 8 months ago

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One Minute Reflection – 25 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” –St Vincent Strambi CP (1745-1824) Bishop, Priest of the Passionist Order of St Paul of the Cross – Ferial Day –1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Matthew 9:1-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/ “Seeing their faith …” – Matthew 9:2 REFLECTION – “He came into His own town and behold, they brought to Him one sick of the palsy, lying in a bed.” (Mt 9:1-2). Jesus, the Gospel tells us, seeing the faith of these people, said to the paralytic: “Courage, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.” The paralytic hears these words and remains silent. He offers no word of thanks. He wanted the healing of his body more than that of his soul. He lamented the transitory pain of his sick body but, the eternal torment of his soul, whose sickness was even greater, this he did not mourn. He judged his present life to be more precious to him than the life to come! Christ was wise to take account of the faith of those who brought the sick man to Him and to pay no attention to the latter’s stupidity. Thanks to his neighbours’ faith, the paralytic’s soul would be cured before his body. “When He saw their faith,” the Gospel says. Take note here, my brethren, God is not concerned with what the foolish want; He does not expect to find faith among the ignorant; He does not analyse the foolish desires of a sick man. On the other hand, He does not refuse to come to the aid of another’s faith. Such faith is a gift of grace and is in harmony with the Will of God.” – St Peter Chrysologus (400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father & Doctor of sermons of the Church (Sermon 50).

(via One Minute Reflection – 25 September – “Seeing their faith …” – Matthew 9:2 – AnaStpaul)

#anastpaul #saints #prayers #jesus christ #catholic #catholicism #roman catholic #christianity

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impcrios · 2 months ago

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physician, heal thyself.

where: st. mungos. triggers: medical talk, loss of patients. mentioned: ted tonks @petrificusx . words: 817.

peter’s first day as a healer was a chaotic one, his morning started at 7:00 a.m. on the dot with other healer trainees with vials in one hand and their wand in another to use for pensieves later. peter had grown up in this hospital because of his mother, often being claimed as her shadows. when he had first walked in he recognized many healers as he had grown up with them, he remembers the feeling of their hands on his cheek saying maybe one day he would be here, too. it was everything that peter had ever wanted in a career, a step to follow his mother because she had done everything for him and always admired her and her work ethic. the first couple of hours of being a healer trainee had been stressful, and if his hands shook during any procedure his head healer boyle was kind and didn’t pay any notice. peter had worked so hard to be a healer at hogwarts, often pouring so many hours into his textbooks and asking poor madam pompfrey if he could shadow her when dealing with sick students. she had always said that she admired peter’s determination, but it would break a lot of laws if he did shadow her on his fellow classmates, but she did allow him to help with her medical inventory. when he thinks about those moments with madam pompfrey he can’t help but smile.

peter had many cases that first day, but he seemed to thrive in the emergency department, and thought that was where he was meant to be when it came to healing, whether it was out on the field or right here in the center of it all with the sickest of patients. it had been a taxing first eight hours, and by the sixth he had lost a patient due to a misapparation with another person, the other patient was in critical condition, they had been fighting before the apparition, and no matter what peter and head healer on the case seemed to do, it just didn’t seem to work no matter what peter had tried. his head healer had told him that he needed to cut his losses, and that, sometimes, it just happens.

head healer boyle had him go to the healer break room after his first loss of a patient, and by hour ten he was losing momentum and his feet were starting to hurt and already had to change robes twice due to being on creature induced injury wards. peter knew that he would lose people, he just didn’t think that he would get so attached. by the time the next team of people seemed to roll into their shifts his head healer had been switched out for a different healer, and when they introduced themselves, their name was ted tonks. peter had shadowed him for the rest of the day, and while nothing was ever tame, it was bearable having a competent healer who didn’t scream at him as they reprimanded him, but there was a gentleness there that peter hadn’t had the past ten hours before. the next four hours seemed to fly by, peter with vials in his pockets for a pensieve later, trying to learn everything that ted tonks was saying to him, and by the end of his fourteen hour shift, ted and peter were in the break room, peter on the couch right next to ted, his head leaning against the cushion as he stared up at the ceiling thinking that he totally fucked up his first day of trainee healing before ted had presented him a lollipop. peter had taken it graciously, staring down at it before laughing, shaking his head.

��i don’t think i know what i’m doing.” peter had eventually said.

“no one does their first day of healing. you shouldn’t beat yourself up.” ted had said.

“i lost two patients.” peter had sighed, overanalyzing the etiquette that he had gone about it, thinking that maybe he could have been more empathetic, more kind.

“that’s just the job. you can’t take it home with you.”

eventually, peter wouldn’t. eventually, peter would be able to compartmentalise what he could and couldn’t take home with him from st. mungo’s. he’d learn the art of caring and empathising, while still trying to live a balanced life, even with the war actually starting, peter thinks that he can carve a place in this world. eventually after his healer training, peter joins the emergency healer mediwix department and learns to thrive in its fast paced nature and environment.

the future is unclear, eventually, there will be a day where peter doesn’t show up to work, and the prophet will claim that he’s dead. but for now, he heals, he thrives, he tries to stick by the muggle motto, physician, heal thyself. the rest is to be determined.

#this is more hc than drabble and it just became paragraphs #also yes the pitt inspired this #maybe i do love my ratboy #medical talk tw #death mention tw #━━ ❛❛ // PETER PETTIGREW ! ¦ god rest my soul i miss who i used to be the tomb won’t close . 「 self para ! 」#━━ ❛❛ // PETER PETTIGREW ! ¦ physician heal thyself . 「 ft. st. mungos ! 」#━━ ❛❛ // PETER PETTIGREW ! ¦ physician heal thyself . 「 ft. ted tonks ! 」#ps. i did consult with pip on dialogue!

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orthodoxydaily · 1 year ago

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Saints&Reading: Tuesday,

may 15_may 28

THE SLAIN CROWN PRINCE DEMETRIUS OF MOSCOW (1591)

Born October 19, 1582 and was the son of Ivan IV Vasilyevich, more commonly known as Ivan Grozny or Ivan the Terrible.

Ivan was succeeded by his much less capable son, Feodor, upon his death in 1584. According to some, the new Tsar Feodor was not only feeble in body, but also in mind. This meant that Feodor was a ruler only in name, and that real power was in the regency council that was established to guide the Tsar. One of the most prominent figures of the council was Boris Godunov, the Tsar’s brother-in-law.

Feodor and his wife, Irina, did not produce an heir, and, according to one popular account, BorisGodunov was hoping to occupy the Russian throne once Feodor died. In order to achieve this, Boris Godunov would have to have to get rid of the last of Ivan’s sons, Dmitri.

In the year that Ivan died, Dmitri, his mother, and his uncles were exiled to Uglich, the Tsarevich’s appanage city.

Wanting to get rid of the rightful heir to the Russian throne, Boris Godunov began to act against the prince as against a personal enemy. At first he tried to slander the young heir to the throne, spreading false rumors about his alleged illegitimate birth. Then he issued a new invention that if Demetrius had inherited his father's harshness Sovereign. As these actions have not brought the desired, the insidious Boris decided to destroy the prince.

An attempt to poison Demetrius was not a success: the deadly potion did not harm the child. Then the villains decided to hide the crime. In Saturday May 15, 1591, the young prince Demetrius walked in the yard with his nurse. The killers, Osip Magi, Danilo Bitiagovsky and Nikita Katchalov, brutally stabbed prince.

Prince Dimitri was buried in Uglich, in the palace church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Many miracles and healings began to be made at his tomb, especially often healed the sick eyes. A July 3, 1606 the holy relics of martyr Tsarevich Dimitri were found incorrupt.

Source:

After numerous miracles of healing from the holy relics, three feastdays for the Tsarevich Demetrius were established during this same year of 1606, his birthday (October 19), his murder (May 15), and the transfer of his relics to Moscow (June 3).

Source: Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St John the Baptist

SAINT ACHILLES, BISHOP OF LARISSA (330)

Saint Achilles, Bishop of Larissa, lived during the fourth century, during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. Glorified for his holiness of life and erudition, he was made Bishop of Larissa in Thessaly.

Saint Achilles participated in the First Ecumenical Council, where he boldly denounced the heretic Arius. In his city he strove to promote Christianity, destroyed idolatrous pagan temples, and he built and adorned churches.

Saint Achilles had the gift of healing sickness, especially demonic possession, and he worked many miracles. The saint died peacefully in about the year 330. His relics have remained in Prespa, in today's Republic of Macedonia, since 978.

ACTS 10:21-33

21 Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, "Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?" 22 And they said, "Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you." 23 Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man." 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. 28 Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29 Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me? 30 So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. 32 'Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.' 33 So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.

JOHN 7:1-13

1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world. 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him. 6 Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come. 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" 12 And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people." 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternorthodoxchurch #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #gospel #bible #wisdom #faith #ssaints

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pamphletstoinspire · 1 year ago

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Commentary on the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. Mark – Chapter 3

St. Mark, the disciple and interpreter of St. Peter (as noted by St. Jerome.) according to what he heard from St. Peter himself, wrote at Rome a brief Gospel at the request of the Brethren (fellow Christians), about ten years after our Lord's Ascension; which when St. Peter had heard, he approved of it, and with his authority he published it to the Church to be read. Baronius and others maintain, that the original was written in Latin: but the more general opinion is that the Evangelist wrote it in Greek.

First, Christ restores the withered hand of a crippled man on the Sabbath, then withdraws with the crowd to the sea, where He cures many who were sick and possessed. Second (v. 13), upon the mountain He selects from His disciples twelve Apostles, and sends them to proclaim the good news, with the power of curing the infirm and of casting out devils. Third (v. 22), He refutes the scribes, who deceitfully accuse Him of casting out devils by Beelzebub, and He says that this is a blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which can never be forgiven. Finally (v. 31), He teaches that His mother and brothers are they that do the will of God, His Father.

And he entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him whether he would heal on the Sabbath days; that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand: Stand up in the midst. 4 And he saith to them: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? To save life, or to destroy? But they held their peace. 5 And looking round about on them with anger, being grieved for the blindness of their hearts, he saith to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth: and his hand was restored unto him. 6 And the Pharisees going out, immediately made a consultation with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. 7 But Jesus retired with his disciples to the sea; and a great multitude followed him from Galilee and Judea, 8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond the Jordan. And they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing the things which he did, came to him. 9 And he spoke to his disciples that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. 10 For he healed many, so that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had evils. 11 And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him: and they cried, saying: 12 Thou art the Son of God. And he strictly charged them that they should not make him known. 13 And going up into a mountain, he called unto him whom he would himself: and they came to him. 14 And he made that twelve should be with him, and that he might send them to preach. 15 And he gave them power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. 16 And to Simon he gave the name Peter: 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he named them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18 And Andrew and Philip, and Bartholomew and Matthew, and Thomas and James of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Cananean: 19 And Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 20 And they come to a house, and the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends had heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him. For they said: He is become mad. 22 And the scribes who were come down from Jerusalem, said: He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils he casteth out devils. 23 And after he had called them together, he said to them in parables: How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26 And if Satan be risen up against himself, he is divided, and cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No man can enter into the house of a strong man and rob him of his goods, unless he first bind the strong man, and then shall he plunder his house. 28 Amen I say to you, that all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and the blasphemies wherewith they shall blaspheme; 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, shall never have forgiveness, but shall be guilty of an everlasting sin. 30 Because they said: He hath an unclean spirit. 31 And his mother and his brethren came; and standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32 And the multitude sat about him; and they say to him: Behold thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33 And answering them, he said: Who is my mother and my brethren? 34 And looking round about on them who sat about him, he saith: Behold my mother and my brethren. 35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

Commentary: Saint Mark - Chapter 3

Verse 4. And he saith to them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy? The translator reads ἀπολέσαι, that is, to destroy. We now read ἀποκτε��ναι, i.e., “to kill.” But to destroy is more appropriate in this passage. For the gospel is speaking of a maimed person, who had a withered hand, not of one who was dead, whether killed or about to be killed. With reference to healing this maimed person, the scribes had proposed to Christ a doubt or scruple, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? Christ resolved this doubt by means of another question, not dubious, but plain, Is it lawful to do good on Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy? Animam (“life�� or “soul”), S. Augustine says, is a synecdoche meaning “a man”; the part signifies the whole. The meaning is, “if anyone should not succor or do a kindness to one who is sick or heavily afflicted, like this maimed man, on the Sabbath, when he is able to do it (as I, Christ, am able), he does him an injury; for he refuses him the help which is due to him by the law of love. Similarly, if someone does not rescue on the Sabbath a man who finds himself in dire straits, when he could save him, he is considered to destroy him. Therefore, it is permissible for Me to cure this maimed man on the Sabbath; for unless I do this good deed for him, I shall be considered to have harmed him and done him wrong, and unless I make him whole, I shall be thought to have destroyed him, for I would be withholding a benefit and assistance that is due, so to speak, to this afflicted man, and I would be hard-hearted and merciless toward him, leaving him in his affliction, which I could so easily relieve.” “In a similar sense” S. Augustine says, “If thou hast not fed the hungry, thou hast killed him,” because thou hast allowed him to die of hunger. In like manner, if thou hast not delivered him who was about to be killed by a robber, when thou mightest have done so, thou hast slain him; for his death and murder will be reckoned to thee by God for guilt and punishment, in exactly the same manner as if thou hadst killed him thyself. Christ, therefore, signifies that not to do good on the Sabbath to a sick person, when thou art able, is to do him evil. But it is never lawful to do evil. Therefore, it is always lawful to do good to such persons, even on the Sabbath. For the Sabbath is devoted to God and good works. And thus it is a more grievous sin to do evil on the Sabbath than upon other days. For by this means the sanctity of the Sabbath is violated, just as by doing good it is the better kept and hallowed.

Verse 5. And looking about on them with anger. Being angry at their unbelief, says the Interlinear, showing by His severe countenance that He was wroth with the blind, and obstinate, and perverse minds of the scribes, in that they ascribed Christ’s miracles of goodness, which He wrought upon the Sabbath, to a breach of the law enjoining the observance of that day. From hence it is plain that there was in Christ real anger, sorrow, and the rest of the passions and affections, as they exist in other men, only under control and subject to reason. Hence anger was in Him a whetstone of virtue. “Anger,” says Franz Lucas, “in us is a passion; in Christ it was, as it were, an action. It arises spontaneously in us; by Christ it was stirred up in Himself. When it has arisen in us, it disturbs the other faculties of the body and mind, nor can it be repressed at our own pleasure; but when stirred up in Christ, it acts as He wills it to act, it disturbs nothing, and finally it ceases when He wills it to cease.” This is what S. Leo says (epist. 11), “The bodily senses were vigorous (in Christ) without the law of sin; and the reality of His affections was governed by His Deity and His soul.”

Moreover, Aristotle (lib. 1 de Anima cap. 1 text. 16) says that “Anger is the desire to inflict suffering in turn upon an adversary.” Hence Gregory of Nyssa (or rather Nemesius, a Christian philosopher under whose name this book is found in volume 9 of the Bibliotheca SS. Patrum) in book 4 of On Philosophy, chapter 13, says, “Anger is the frustration of desire.” Lactantius says (lib. de Ira Dei ex Possidonio), “Anger is the lust of punishing him by whom you think yourself to have been injured.” Hence anger in other men springs from self-love; but in Christ it sprang from love of God, because He loved God perfectly. Hence He was infinitely grieved and angry at offenses against God caused by sins, and committed by sinners, wishing to compensate for those offenses by punishing or correcting sinners and unbelievers. Hence Christ’s anger was zeal, or seasoned with zeal, even as in the angels and the blessed it is not anger but zeal. See S. Thomas (Summa III. Part, q. 15. a. 9). The opinions of the doctors vary as to whether there is in God the passion of anger, strictly speaking. For some, with Suarez (opusc. de Divina Justitia sect. 5 n. 2) affirm this, while others, with Vasquez (tom. 1 in 1. p. disp. 84. cap. 4) deny it.

Being grieved for the blindness (Syriac, "hardness or “callousness”) of their hearts. Grieved, in Greek συλλυπούµενος, i.e., “condoling with” and “commiserating” them, because, being blinded and hardened by envy and hatred, they would not acknowledge Him to be the Messias, but twisted the good deeds that He performed for the sick on the Sabbath and spoke of them as wickedness. It is meant, therefore, that the anger of Jesus did not proceed from the desire of vengeance, but was mingled with pity; and that Jesus was angry with sin, but sorry for sinners, insomuch as He loved them, and strove to save them. Lastly, all anger is mingled with sorrow; for he that is angry grieves for the evil at which he is angry. Thus the sorrow for the evil causes and sharpens anger, that it may strive to remove the evil at which it is grieved. Thus S. Thomas and the Scholastics (loc. cit.).

Verse 9. That a small ship should wait on him. In Greek προσκαρτερῇ, i.e., so that it might be close at hand, and, as Budaeus translates it, so that it might accompany them continually, that He might betake Himself to it when the multitude pressed upon Him.

Verse 10. Evils. In Greek µάστιγας, i.e., "scourings," viz. "wounds" and “diseases,” with which God chastises and scourges men on account of their sins. It signifies, therefore, that sicknesses are often scourges, sent by God because of sins, to punish them.

Verse 11. And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him. That is, they fell down, kneeling at His feet, not out of love and devotion, but from fear, begging Him to grant their plea, that He would not drive them out of the men, and banish them to hell.

And they cried. So that He, honored and praised by them, might spare them.

Verse 12. Saying: Thou art the Son of God. You will ask whether the devils really knew that Jesus was the Messias or the Christ, the Son of God? I answer, it is plain from this passage, and from Matthew 8:29, and from Luke 4:41, and from the fathers and the interpreters generally who comment upon these passages, that the devils, although they did not fully know Christ at His baptism, and before His baptism (since they afterward tempted Him, that they might learn who He was); yet subsequently they did recognize who He was, from the many and great miracles, which they clearly saw were true miracles, and far transcending their own natural power and that of the angels. They saw that what Christ did was wrought by the supernatural power of God alone, with this end in view, that He might prove, first, that He was the Messias promised to the fathers; second, that He was God, and the Son of God. Hence, I say that the devils knew that Jesus was the Messias and the Son of God, especially when they compared the scriptures and the ancient prophecies with the miracles of Christ. For they saw that the scriptures had predicted that He would be such a person as Jesus was, and would work such miracles.

Note, however, that the devils did not so clearly and surely know this truth, as not to hesitate somewhat, on the other hand, when they thought of the greatness of the mystery, and of the infinite dignity and humiliation of Christ incarnate (which would appear a thing of itself incredible, especially to the proud and arrogant devil), and be in doubt whether Jesus were really the Messias and the Son of God. They the more hesitated, yea, they were ignorant of the purpose and fruit of this mystery, to wit, that by the incarnation, cross, and death of Christ men were to be redeemed, and that his own kingdom among them was to be ruined, and the kingdom of God established. Especially were they blinded by their hatred of Jesus, because they saw that He was an extremely holy man, and snatched many souls from them. Hence they felt that they must oppose and ruin Him and utterly crush Him. Hence it came to pass that they, being blinded by their hatred of Jesus, neither considered nor understood the holy scriptures, otherwise so plain, concerning the cross and death of Christ and our redemption thereby. Thus, by means of the Jews, they crucified and slew Jesus as an irreconcilable enemy; and thus they unwittingly destroyed their own kingdom. Thus S. Leo (serm. 9 de Passione), “Nor did the devil himself perceive that by his rage against Christ he would destroy his own principality; who would not have lost the rights he had gained by his ancient fraud if he had refrained from shedding the blood of the Lord Jesus. But by his malice, being greedy of doing harm, when he rushes upon Him, he falls; when he would capture, he is taken; while he pursues a mortal, he stumbles against the Savior.”

Verse 14. And he made that twelve should be with him. As His Apostles, comrades, and His personal delegates. Hence He adds, that he might send them to preach.

Verse 15. And he gave them power to heal sicknesses. Gave, not then, when He simply designated them and made them Apostles, but later, when He sent them to preach (ch. 6-7), for then they had to confirm their preaching with miracles. Hence there is a prolepsis or an anticipation here.

Verse 16. And to Simon he gave the name Peter.��Several Greek codices prefix to these words, πρῶτον Σίµωνα, i.e., “first Peter,” meaning that He appointed him first among the Apostles; but the rest omit them. The same thing is sufficiently gathered from the fact that Peter is here first named by Christ, and his name changed, so that he who was previously called Simon, is afterward called in Syriac Cephas, in Greek and Latin Petrus, that is, “a rock,” because he was to be made by Christ the rock and foundation of the Church. A propos, this name of Cephas, or Peter, had been promised to Simon by Christ at John 1:42, but was actually conferred at Matthew 16:18.

Verse 17. And James the son of Zebedee (James is named first because he was older than John, who of all the Apostles was the youngest), and John the brother of James; and he named them Boanerges, which is (means), The sons of thunder. The Vulgate says “gave them the names,” and not “name,” because they were two, and hence required more than one name, “Boanerges,” which is grammatically plural, signifying not “the son” but “the sons of thunder” in the plural. They were “thunderers,” as it were, thundering forth Christ’s gospel and doctrines.

Boanerges. So the Arabic, Egyptian, and Persian. The Ethiopic, however, has Baanerges. This name is a corruption, for in Hebrew, or rather in Syriac, it would be Banerges or Bonerges, as it is found in certain manuscripts, as Franz Lucas attests in his Notation (note 460 on this passage). For the Syrians, like the Bavarians and the Westphalians, pronounce the vowel a like o, and e like a. Hence for Semuel they say Samuel, for Selomon, Salomon, and for bene, or “sons,” bane. It may be that Banerges has been changed into Boanerges by persons ignorantly supposing that boa signifies “the sound of thunder.” Thus Franz Lucas.

Moreover Banerges, as Jansen observes (also Angelus Caninius, in Nomin. Hebr. cap. 11), is a compound word, consisting of Hebrew ינב bane, i.e., “sons,” and Hebrew שגר regesch, i.e., “a roaring,” that is, of thunder. Thus Jupiter is called by the Greeks ὑψιβρεµέτης, “loftily roaring,” “thundering on high.” The Syriac version has in this place bane reges, “sons of thunder,” instead of the Hebrew expression, םער ינב bene raam. For Christ here spoke in the Syriac of that age. There is here, then, a metathesis or transposition of the letters r and e, banerges, instead of bane reges. A similar transposition of the same letter r is common in many languages, as Angelus Caninius demonstrates with many examples (in Hellenismo p. 64). Thus, for καρδία, i.e., “heart,” the Greek poets say κραδίη; καρτερὸς for κρατερὸς, and τέτρατος for τέταρτος. For νεῦρον the Latins say nervus; for ἅρπαξ, rapax and for ἁρπάζω, rapio; for µορφὴ, forma; for καρκῖνος, cancer; for κρέας, caro; for κρίνω, cerno, for he who judges must discern. Punic has gerac for ἄκρα, i.e., arx, (Etruscan rocco), “a citadel.” Punic furthermore has bigr, Latin virgo, “a virgin”; darag, gradus, “a step”; elmara, mulier, “a woman”; carmes, cramoisy [a crimson cloth]. The Hebrew word arets (in Belgian aerde [and English earth]) corresponds to the Latin terra; sippor is passer, “sparrow”; kebara, cribrum, “a sieve”; cabbirim, cherubim; keraim, crura, “shinbones”; kerem, cornu, “horn.”

The meaning, then, is as follows: Christ called James and John by a new name, Banerges, sons of thunder, because He charged them above the rest of the Apostles with the glorious preaching and propagation of His gospel, that by the holiness of their lives and their miracles they might be like thunderbolts, and might, by the power of their voices, shake men as with claps of thunder, even unbelievers and barbarians, and bring them to repentance and a holy life. This appears in the history of S. James. Because of his candor and zeal in preaching, he was the first among the Apostles to incur the wrath of Herod and the Jews, by whom he was beheaded, dying a martyr (Acts 12). The same converted the Spaniards, and by their means the inhabitants of the East and West Indies, to the Faith of Christ. John preached for a very long period, and very efficaciously. He was the last of the Apostles to depart this life, which he did after he had subdued Asia and other provinces to Christ by his preaching. Hence, also, his gospel begins with divine thunder, as it were an eagle of God, fulminating and crying out with a voice of thunder, when he intones, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Thus S. Epiphanius (hæres. 73). Hence, when he was writing his gospel, there were lightnings and thunderings from heaven, just as it lightened from Mount Sinai when God gave the law to Moses and the Hebrews. So Baronius shows from Prochorus, John’s disciple, and from Metaphrastes (A.D. 99 in fine).

See the commentary on Ezechiel 1:14, at the words, The living creatures ran and returned like flashes of lightning, where I have given a three-fold meaning to the expression, sons of thunder. Thus Pericles, as an orator, seemed not so much to speak and declaim as to thunder and lighten, says Quintilian (lib. 2 cap. 6). Hence he was called by the poets “the Olympian”, that is, “the celestial.”

Verse 21. And when his friends (some of Christ’s relatives; Syriac “his brethren.” Thus Euthymius, Theophylact, Bede) had heard of it, they went out to lay hold on (bind) him. For they said: He is become mad. In Greek ἐξέστη, i.e., “beside himself, out of his mind,” non compos mentis, having become delirious and insane because of an excess of piety and zeal. (See commentary on Matthew 12:46.) The Arabic has, “saying that he is foolish.” The Syriac renders literally, “they said that he had gone out of his mind.” Others render differently, “saying that he has swooned,” from hunger, because, on account of the multitude, He had no leisure to eat. (See verse 20.)

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The Dog That Weeps: Sin as a State of Being

After a conversation with Brother Peter and Brother Raphael.

In the realm of true Christian theology, sin is not defined simply as the breaking of a rule or the violation of a code of conduct. It is not a checklist of wrongdoings tallying up to divine punishment. Rather, sin is a metaphysical condition, a state of being that separates the human soul from God. It is sickness, not just guilt; a disruption, not just disobedience. This understanding of sin as a state of separation from God is rooted in the Orthodox Church’s profound insight into human nature, its fallenness, and its capacity for restoration.

“The dog that weeps after it kills” serves as a metaphor for the human struggle with sin. Like the dog, we do not sin in ignorance. Deep within, we possess a flickering awareness of the distortion that sin causes to our being, and yet, we often act against the grain of this awareness. Afterward, guilt and sorrow may wash over us, but these feelings are not in themselves repentance they are mere recognition of the consequences of choosing a path contrary to our true nature. True repentance begins not merely with awareness but with a wholehearted return to God, a restoration of the divine image within us.

Our Spiritual fathers teach that humanity was created in the image and likeness of God, made to live in union with Him. As St. Athanasius famously said, “God became man so that man might become god.” This encapsulates the ultimate purpose of human life: theosis, or deification the process of becoming united with God in such an intimate and transformative way that we share, by grace, in His divine nature. Sin, then, becomes not a trivial offense but a tragic impediment to this purpose. It disrupts the journey toward deification by distorting the image of God within us and driving us deeper into spiritual disintegration.

To understand sin as a state of being is to recognize its pervasive nature. It is not merely about external actions…what we do…but about our internal condition…who we are. When we sin, we are not just committing acts contrary to God's will, we are stepping further away from our true identity, from the purpose for which we were created. This is why sin cannot simply be 'fixed' by following rules or by external legalistic observance. It requires healing, restoration, and transformation.

The root of sin lies in the heart, in the orientation of the soul. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God in the Garden of Eden, they did more than violate God's command, they severed their communion with Him, plunging humanity into a state of alienation and fragmentation. This alienation is not just vertical, disrupting humanity's relationship with God, but horizontal, disrupting our relationship with one another and with creation itself. Sin, as separation from God, is the ultimate unraveling of the harmony that once defined human life.

The dog that weeps after it kills embodies the paradox of sin's grip on the human soul. On one hand, there is the act of killing, the willful engagement in sin. On the other hand, there is the weeping, the inescapable awareness that something intrinsic to its own essence and nature has been violated. In this way, the metaphor speaks to the divided state of the soul: sinners mourn the consequences of sin, yet often remain ensnared by it. St. Paul captures this anguish in his Epistle to the Romans when he laments, 'For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing' (Romans 7:19). Such is the war waged within every person, torn between the divine image imprinted on their soul and the pull of sin’s distortions.

It is in this light that we see how sin is far more devastating than a simple list of wrongs. It is a condition that distorts our spiritual vision, warps our desires, and leads us to act contrary to our true calling. Though salvation is offered freely and abundantly by God, it requires our participation, our willingness to repent, to cooperate with His grace, and to turn toward Him as the healing source of our being. Repentance here does not mean a legalistic confession of wrongdoing. In the Orthodox tradition, repentance, or “metanoia”, means a change of mind, a reorientation of the soul back toward God. It is not merely a step in a moral checklist, but a profound transformation of one's inner state and a movement toward communion with the divine.

In our modern world, sin is often trivialized or misunderstood as either a psychological hang up or an outdated religious construct. However, to lose the theological understanding of sin as a state of being is to lose sight of what it means to be truly human. Our ultimate purpose is not to be moral according to societal standards or even to achieve personal happiness, but to be restored to the divine likeness and united with God. In this sense, sin is a sickness that needs healing, not condemnation; a barrier that needs to be torn down, not a tally that needs to be erased.

The weeping dog is not a mascot of despair but a reminder of hope. Just as this dog instinctively mourns the act of killing, so too do we possess a spark within us, a reflection of God’s image that yearns for restoration, even when mired in sin. The tears of the dog testify to the deeper truth that sin does not have the final word. Through Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection, the power of sin has been overcome. As St. Athanasius reminds us, God became man so that man might become god. Christ took on our sinful condition not merely to forgive us but to heal us, to restore us, and to make us whole.

Nor a misstep or legal infraction. Sin is a state of separation, a sickness that pervades our being and disrupts our purpose of union with God. The dog that weeps reveals the profound tragedy of our condition: the pain of being estranged from our true nature while instinctively longing for restoration. Yet it also points to the profound hope offered through Christ. In Him, our tears are not wasted; our brokenness is not beyond repair. The journey of repentance becomes the path back to life, where we are no longer defined by sin, but by the divine love that seeks to reunite us with our Creator.

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