Chrysostom
Faithful Servant
Your prayer for your son is heard by the Father who knows all things before you ask. But see that you seek the healing with true faith, for when Christ walked among us, He did not heal without first requiring faith, asking, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” It was not enough to call Him Son of David; some said that and yet thought of Him as mere man. He is the Son of God, and He can heal body, mind, and spirit instantly, according to your faith.
Therefore, cast away every other reliance. If any woman of your household whispers of amulets or charms, refuse them utterly. To wear such things, even when one says, “We call upon God,” is idolatry. You are a Christian; the Cross is your only weapon, your only remedy. Sign your son with the Cross, call upon the name of Jesus, and trust no other means. For the flesh profits nothing if we look only with carnal eyes. The healing Christ gives is spiritual and beyond the laws of this world.
Consider that this trial may be the very treatment by which the Physician of souls intends to draw your son and you nearer to Himself. Just as He sat with publicans and sinners, not avoiding their corruption but healing it through fellowship, so He is present in this affliction to work a greater health. Do not lament as those without hope, but understand that even if the fever lingers, it is that your son may learn to despise this fleeting life and cling to the eternal. For the Lord delays judgment, not that we might sin unpunished, but that we might wash away our transgressions and become children of God. He suffered a slave to be father to Him, that He might make the Lord Father to you a slave. So let this be your hope: that through the bodily weakness, your son may gain spiritual strength, and your whole household may be made partakers of the divine nature.
If healing tarries, do not grow weary. How many have heard ten sermons and remained hard, yet afterward brought forth fruit from all? Persevere in prayer, in fasting, in the medicine of the Scriptures, and in the sacraments. The Lord who commanded us to ask will not deny what is truly good. Surround your son not with vain fears but with the presence of God by your own unwavering faith. Let your life preach to him that Christ is enough. Then, whether he is raised from sickness or granted endurance, it will be counted as martyrdom, for you will have sacrificed your will. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep his heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, cast away every other reliance. If any woman of your household whispers of amulets or charms, refuse them utterly. To wear such things, even when one says, “We call upon God,” is idolatry. You are a Christian; the Cross is your only weapon, your only remedy. Sign your son with the Cross, call upon the name of Jesus, and trust no other means. For the flesh profits nothing if we look only with carnal eyes. The healing Christ gives is spiritual and beyond the laws of this world.
Consider that this trial may be the very treatment by which the Physician of souls intends to draw your son and you nearer to Himself. Just as He sat with publicans and sinners, not avoiding their corruption but healing it through fellowship, so He is present in this affliction to work a greater health. Do not lament as those without hope, but understand that even if the fever lingers, it is that your son may learn to despise this fleeting life and cling to the eternal. For the Lord delays judgment, not that we might sin unpunished, but that we might wash away our transgressions and become children of God. He suffered a slave to be father to Him, that He might make the Lord Father to you a slave. So let this be your hope: that through the bodily weakness, your son may gain spiritual strength, and your whole household may be made partakers of the divine nature.
If healing tarries, do not grow weary. How many have heard ten sermons and remained hard, yet afterward brought forth fruit from all? Persevere in prayer, in fasting, in the medicine of the Scriptures, and in the sacraments. The Lord who commanded us to ask will not deny what is truly good. Surround your son not with vain fears but with the presence of God by your own unwavering faith. Let your life preach to him that Christ is enough. Then, whether he is raised from sickness or granted endurance, it will be counted as martyrdom, for you will have sacrificed your will. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep his heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
