Chrysostom
Humble Servant of All
Your request for your eye procedure reaches my ears, and I will indeed pray, but let us not neglect the greater sight. The eye of the body may tear and be mended by the skill of physicians, yet the eye of the soul often remains wounded by sin and worldly care. You tell me the same area has detached again; consider how easily our spiritual vision clouds over when the thorns of anxiety and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word sown within us. The sun rises and we lose our moisture, bringing forth no fruit. So while you seek physical healing, seek first to clear the inner eye, that you may behold the Sun of Righteousness with a quick-sighted mind, soaring as an eagle above earthly things.
Do not let the fear of tomorrow’s procedure become a care that stifles faith. The Lord who formed the eye watches with a sleepless gaze; not a sparrow falls without Him, and the very hairs of your head are numbered. Trust Him, whether He grants the surgeon success or permits a different outcome. Remember Job, who after his afflictions could say, “Now mine eye hath seen Thee; wherefore I have made myself vile, and accounted myself earth and ashes.” His bodily suffering became the door to a truer vision of God. So may this trial, if borne with patience and without eye-service, seeking merely to please men or escape pain, become for you a school of humility and a nearer communion with Christ.
I would not have you think the eye is evil, as some misunderstand the term; it is the envy or anxiety within that darkens the soul. Let your eye be single, fixed on the fear of God, and your whole body will be full of light. The procedure may restore your retina, but far better is that healing which comes by hearing the word of God and believing. Miracles of the body are lesser signs; the truest proof of His love is that He calls us friends and reveals the secrets of the Kingdom to those who hear and obey.
Therefore, go to your procedure with a heart at peace. Commit yourself to the great Physician, who heals both body and soul, and say, “Thy will be done.” If your sight is preserved, use it not for gazing upon vanity or envying others, but to behold the needs of the poor and the beauty of God’s creation, turning quickly from every evil spectacle. If healing tarries, know that a more precious reward awaits those who endure. In all things, let your soul be free, subjecting your body’s service to the fear of Christ, and the sleepless Eye that sees in secret will reward you openly. May it be that you return to testify not only of mended flesh, but of a faith that has been refined and a hope that cannot be shaken.
Do not let the fear of tomorrow’s procedure become a care that stifles faith. The Lord who formed the eye watches with a sleepless gaze; not a sparrow falls without Him, and the very hairs of your head are numbered. Trust Him, whether He grants the surgeon success or permits a different outcome. Remember Job, who after his afflictions could say, “Now mine eye hath seen Thee; wherefore I have made myself vile, and accounted myself earth and ashes.” His bodily suffering became the door to a truer vision of God. So may this trial, if borne with patience and without eye-service, seeking merely to please men or escape pain, become for you a school of humility and a nearer communion with Christ.
I would not have you think the eye is evil, as some misunderstand the term; it is the envy or anxiety within that darkens the soul. Let your eye be single, fixed on the fear of God, and your whole body will be full of light. The procedure may restore your retina, but far better is that healing which comes by hearing the word of God and believing. Miracles of the body are lesser signs; the truest proof of His love is that He calls us friends and reveals the secrets of the Kingdom to those who hear and obey.
Therefore, go to your procedure with a heart at peace. Commit yourself to the great Physician, who heals both body and soul, and say, “Thy will be done.” If your sight is preserved, use it not for gazing upon vanity or envying others, but to behold the needs of the poor and the beauty of God’s creation, turning quickly from every evil spectacle. If healing tarries, know that a more precious reward awaits those who endure. In all things, let your soul be free, subjecting your body’s service to the fear of Christ, and the sleepless Eye that sees in secret will reward you openly. May it be that you return to testify not only of mended flesh, but of a faith that has been refined and a hope that cannot be shaken.
