We all know people who need God, but for one reason or another, they are unable to bring themselves to God or the Church. We can still express our love for them by bringing them to God in our prayers. When God sees our faith, our love for them will be a blessing to them and to us. Even if they refuse to come to God, or to pray for themselves, never give up on them. Pray every day for them. Pray for God’s mercy and leave the rest to Him.
My brothers and sisters, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about prayer. I’ve been thinking a lot because we all have someone that we know in our life that for one reason or another was unable to bring themselves to God. Maybe physically they are stuck at home sick, but more often than not, they’re unable to bring themselves to God because there’s something spiritual in their life that is separating them from God. There’s something in their life that is keeping them paralyzed and at home.
And this is where we come in, because we know the people that need God, and you hear me all the time talk about bringing our friends to church. Today, I’m not asking you to bring them physically to church. Sometimes they’re unable to come, sometimes they don’t want to come, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need God in their life. And so, we have the incredible blessing because of our faith, and because of our love for God and our friends, we can still bring them to God. We bring them to him in our prayers. In the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, in our prayers, it is our tradition to list the list of names that we’re praying to God for. God, please bless Yanni, and Timmy, and Susie, and Katerina. And we don’t have to say what they need. God knows what they need. Our love for them is to bring them to God.
In this morning’s gospel, they just brought the paralyzed man to Christ. They didn’t say anything other than bringing him to him. And it says, “Seeing their faith, he turned to the man, he said, ‘Your sins are forgiven.'” But the people didn’t like that, and they start murmuring, “This man has blasphemed.” Christ said, “Which is harder to say? Your sins are forgiven, or arise and walk?” And then he turns. He says, “Just so you know the power of God,” he turns to them and he says, “get up and walk.” And you see my brothers and sisters, this gospel is not about the physical miracle. This gospel is about what can happen when friends bring others to God, either physically or in prayer, because it is our faith that can heal our friends. And I’m suggesting, my brothers and sisters, in your prayers, never give up on anyone.
Is there someone in your life that you’re fighting with, that you’re arguing with? Is there someone in your life that you maybe haven’t spoken with in 27 years? Never give up on them. Pray for them every morning, every afternoon, and every night. Pray to God for them, “Lord, have mercy on your servant.” You don’t have to say anything else other than asking for God’s mercy, but never give up, because our love can change the world. Because Christ sees our love and our faith, and Christ will act and forgive sins.
He may or may not heal through a miracle healing. All of us know someone who has not been healed, so we know that the gospel is not about the miracle of healing. It is about the forgiveness of sins, and my brothers and sisters, it starts with us. It starts with us loving people enough to pray for them and to never give up. When you bring your prosforo to the church, when you bring your olive oil to the church, there’s names, there’s forms in the narthex. Fill out the form. Offer your friends’ names to God, and allow God’s love and grace to take over from there.
And we will see great things, not necessarily physical miracles, although we have seen those too. But in my life, I believe it is a greater miracle to see love and forgiveness than to see physical healing, because we can all make it another day with a broken leg, but we cannot survive without love and forgiveness. And so, pray for the people. Pray for each other. Please pray for me as I continue to pray for you, and together we’ll bring each other and all people to God, and he will love and forgive and bless. Glory to God for all things.
