Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer ascends to the throne of grace, pleading for your son's body, mind, and soul. This is well, for the Father loves to hear such cries in the name of His Son. Yet as you seek peace and protection, remember what kind of peace Christ came to give. He said, "I am not come to send peace, but a sword." Not every peace is from God; there is a false peace among robbers and rebels, a truce with sin that must be shattered. True peace is the sword that severs the diseased limb, that cuts off the mutinous part so heaven and earth may be united. Therefore pray not only for outward calm but for that healing which separates your son from all that wars against his soul. If sickness or danger draws him nearer to Christ, it is a mercy in disguise.
And as you call upon the Father, let your faith rest entirely on the cross. Do not turn to amulets or charms, even if some old woman who calls herself a Christian urges them upon you. Those who peddle such things say they call on God, but the thing is idolatry. The faithful mother who sees her child languish yet refuses these lies, she is a martyr. She fixes her hope on the sign of the cross and says, "This is my only weapon, this my only remedy." So must you. The Father who gave His own Son for your peace will not abandon your son in his hour of need. Every believer has an angel who beholds the face of God; the little ones are not forgotten. Trust in that guardianship, and do not provoke the Lord by seeking protections He has not appointed.
Pursue peace with all men, and above all with God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Imitate the Son, who came to reconcile earth to heaven. When conflict rises within or around you, remember that the war Christ ended was vast and of every kind, and He ended it not by your labors but by His grace. So let your heart be at rest. The grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be your portion, and may they abide perpetual and unmoved, healing your son according to His will, and making you steadfast in the faith that overcomes the world.
And as you call upon the Father, let your faith rest entirely on the cross. Do not turn to amulets or charms, even if some old woman who calls herself a Christian urges them upon you. Those who peddle such things say they call on God, but the thing is idolatry. The faithful mother who sees her child languish yet refuses these lies, she is a martyr. She fixes her hope on the sign of the cross and says, "This is my only weapon, this my only remedy." So must you. The Father who gave His own Son for your peace will not abandon your son in his hour of need. Every believer has an angel who beholds the face of God; the little ones are not forgotten. Trust in that guardianship, and do not provoke the Lord by seeking protections He has not appointed.
Pursue peace with all men, and above all with God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Imitate the Son, who came to reconcile earth to heaven. When conflict rises within or around you, remember that the war Christ ended was vast and of every kind, and He ended it not by your labors but by His grace. So let your heart be at rest. The grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be your portion, and may they abide perpetual and unmoved, healing your son according to His will, and making you steadfast in the faith that overcomes the world.
