When a community gathers united in Christ, healing takes place. When we bring each other closer to Christ, sins are forgiven. When Christ sees our faith as a united family, He blesses us, forgives us, and heals us.
At that time, getting into a boat Jesus crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Rise and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” he then said to the paralytic — “Rise, take up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Matthew 9.1-8
10 years ago, I stood in this very spot and introduced myself to you. I said that day, “Hi, I’m the new guy.” You didn’t know me and I didn’t know you. But that day I made a promise that we would grow together closer to Christ, that you would learn from me and that I would learn from you. We’re going to ignore the part where I promised to be here for 50 years. But my brothers and sisters, by God’s grace, we indeed have grown closer to Christ. We have learned from each other. And now the page is turning. The page is turning in my life, Presvytera and Harry we are going off to another community.
The page is turning in your life. And the Father Aristidis will be here in a couple of days to lead you closer to Christ because that is what it is all about. It is not about me. I’m sorry, it’s not about you. It’s not about the metropolitan or the Archbishop or the 25,000 people who visit each year on epiphany. It is about Jesus Christ. And it is about our unity as a family in our commitment to bringing each other closer to Christ. That is the message in this morning’s gospel. When Christ goes, He’s met not just by a paralytic man, not just by one man, but by a group of friends who brought him to Christ.
And the gospel says seeing their faith, Christ turns to the paralytic and He says, “Your sins are forgiven.” My brothers and sisters, that has been our priority now for 10 years, to bring people to Christ for forgiveness and for healing. I have spent many hours in the chapel hearing confessions over the past 10 years, doing what this morning’s gospel gives the church the authority to do to forgive sins. But I could not have done that unless we had grown together in Christ. No one confesses to a total stranger. As your priest, I have been blessed to know the intimate struggles of your life. And I thank you, because you have let us into your life, God has healed me.
And I pray that through any small effort of mine, God has healed each and every one of you, even just a little bit because that is why we are here. We’re not here just because we’re Greeks. We’re not here because our mind happens to agree with some blog we read on the internet that made us believe that orthodoxy is the true faith. We are here, my brothers and sisters, to be forgiven and healed by God. And so I stand before you today begging for your forgiveness. I know I have hurt you, some of you on a personal level. I’m sorry, forgive me. I know some of you are hurt that I’m leaving, forgive me.
My brothers and sisters, it is forgiveness in Christ that heals all sorts of infirmities. It was the forgiveness that ultimately led this paralyzed man to pick up his bed and to walk home. It was forgiveness that came first. Health came second. So pray for me as I will always pray for you because as I like to say, like it or not, we are in this forever. It has only been nine years and nine months together on earth, but we will be together eternally. We will see each other again. And I pray that we will always grow closer to Jesus Christ and remember that He is the only reason for living, and nothing else. May God bless you. May God continue to pray for each and every one of you through His Holy Spirit. And please pray for me. Glory to God for all things.
