In this Gospel, Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic man before healing him. It is a manifestation of God’s infinite mercy, but there is today and probably always has been, a rigorism which is uncomfortable of forgiveness without conditions.” It is, of course, quite reasonable to expect that one condition for forgiveness would be repentance and, really, that must be assumed. After all, Jesus’ preaching of the Gospel begins, “Repent (metavoite, “change your minds”), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)” (Read on the Sunday after Theophany) We are always free to reject God’s forgiveness. However, it is strange that in the gospel stories of forgiveness, “repentance” is downplayed. When our Lord forgives the woman caught in adultery, he does not ask, “Do you repent for your sin?” but instead interrogates her accusers. Only after they are gone and the woman is spared, does he say, “Go, and sin no more.”

The greatest model of forgiveness is the parable of the Prodigal Son. It is true, as a rigorist might point out, the loving Father does not go out to seek his son, but waits until he repents – that is, returns home. However, the son had prepared a little speech of repentance, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son. (Luke 15:21)” However, the Father completely ignores his little speech, it is of small consequence, and he restores him to the fullness of his inheritance. God’s mercy knows no limits. Also, in this gospel, the Lord does not ask the paralytic, “Have you repented of your sins,” but, without preamble, when he asks for physical healing, God says, “Courage! Your sins are forgiven.” Again, I am not saying that repentance is not necessary, just that it is striking how little the inspired writers make of it, in order to emphasize the infinite mercy of God. Perhaps this uneasiness about repentance comes from a fear that people will misinterpret God’s mercy, or maybe it comes from human hubris that the process of forgiveness depends first on our human will, on our repentance.

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Romans 10:1-10; Matthew 8:28-9:1

In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus encounters two men in the Gadarene territory who are possessed by demons, by evil. The evil is distressed, and says, “Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” They knew that at the end there would be a judgment in the last days, but thought they had the right to stay in these men’s bodies until then. However, evil cannot abide in the presence of God, and so they must leave before the “appointed time” and destroy another evil – the unclean animals forbidden to the Jews. Can we say that Jesus is no longer with us as he was in the Gadarene territory. Has he left us to go to sit at his Father’s right? But St. Paul tells us that the presence of Jesus is not a geographical problem, “Who will go up to heaven? Who will go into the abyss? – to bring Jesus here. The mysteries of the descent into Hades and the Ascension are mysteries of God’s relationship with us, and so St. Paul says, “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. (Romans 10:8).”

Christ is with us, and evil cannot abide in his presence. He must be present both in our souls, in the center of our being, and also outside in our witness to others, in our lips or in any way that we communicate.

It’s not enough to be a “secret” Christian nor to be a hypocrite, saying “Lord, Lord,” but not believing. Only then can obstacles to our spiritual growth and progress be removed. Remember, the demoniacs were so savage that no one could travel by that road. Evil is so savage that it blocks our way to God, and God alone can remove that block.

For an interesting read on the Gadarene demonics, see Michael Willett Newheart’s book, ‘My Name is Legion’: The Story and Soul of the Gerasene Demoniacs (Interfaces, Liturgical Press, 2004). He follows, however, the Markan account.

Commentary from the Fathers:

The Demons Cried Out. Cyril of Alexandria: The divine nature of the only begotten Son was already scorching the demons in unspeakable flames. Christ was shutting up the fiercest demons in blocked roads. He was undoing the devil’s tyranny. “You have come before the time,” they cried out. For they knew from the Scriptures that Christ was going to come and would judge them. Treating the incarnation as if it had happened at the wrong time, they pled that he had come in an untimely way. This misrepresentation is not surprising. In their deceptiveness, they did not hesitate to say even this. Yet, although they know that vengeance is to fall upon them, they still say haughtily, “What have you to do with us?” They know that the final Judge in fact has a score to settle with them, inasmuch as they had broken his commandments. Fragment 101.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Sunday, 7/09/17 5th Sunday after Pentecost
9:00 a.m. Special Intention
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish

Epistle: Romans  10:1-10
Gospel: Matthew 8:28-9:3, Tone 4

Monday, 7/10/17 Venerable Father Anthony of the Monastery of the Caves, Kyiv
8:00 a.m. no special intention for the Divine Liturgy

Tuesday, 7/11/17 Repose of Blessed Olga (Olha), Princess of Kyiv, named Helen in Holy Baptism
8:00 a.m. +Iwan Sowa (Pan.) requested by Bohdan Sowa

Wednesday, 7/12/17 Holy Martyrs Proclus and Hilary
8:00 a.m. no special intention for the Divine Liturgy

Thursday, 7/13/17 Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel
8:00 a.m. no special intention for the Divine Liturgy

Friday, 7/14/17 Holy Apostle Aquila
8:00 a.m. no special intention for the Divine Liturgy

Saturday, 7/15/17 Holy Grand Prince Vladimir (Volodymyr), Equal to the Apostles, named Basil in Holy Baptism
9:00 a.m. +Fr. Vladimir Levitzky (Pan.) requested by Joseph M. Levitzky

Sunday, 7/16/17 6th Sunday after Pentecost
9:00 a.m. +Michael and Anna Lipcan requested by Barbara and Patrick Bagley
10:30 a.m. For the people of the parish

Epistle: Romans 12:6-14
Gospel: Matthew 9:1-8, Tone 5

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

St. Paul tells us, “Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:18)” Slaves? Slavery is a demeaning word. Are we slaves of God? Didn’t Jesus tell us, “I no longer call you slaves … I have called you my friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. (John 15:15) But listen carefully to what St. Paul says, “I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. (Romans 6:19)” He is correcting our idea of freedom. We think freedom means freedom of choice – to decide to obey God or to sin. But to sin is to put ourselves into slavery to evil, and the only way to escape is to think of ourselves as slaves of God, for obedience brings life but “the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)”

Therefore, when we receive Holy Communion, the priest says, “The servant of God (name) receives … The Greek word for “slave,” which St. Paul uses is “doulos,” which means “slave” (in Slavonic, rab). The same word is used for both men and women, for we are all “slaves,” of God – in human terms – but “friends” in divine terms. We cannot and must not make ourselves slaves of what is sinful or evil. The centurion in the Gospel this Sunday understood this very well. He knew what it meant to give commands and to be obeyed and then to obey God. The centurion said, “For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it … “only say the word, [Master], and my servant will be healed. (Matthew 8:9)” Jesus marveled at his faith. Only faith in God and faithfulness to his word can bring us real and authentic freedom.

Meditation by Archpriest David Petras