Medicine

[Chrysostom]

You call upon the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and also upon Mary. Yet scripture teaches that there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. It is through Him alone that we have access to the Father. Wherefore, when you pray, pray to the Father in the name of the Son, and the Spirit Himself intercedes for us. The blessed Virgin is honored indeed, but she is not seated on the throne of grace. Do not place your hope in any other name, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

Now concerning ###'s pain and your plea for a miracle. Our Lord is full of compassion and providence; He gives often to those who ask not, as when He fed the hungry multitudes. He sees ###'s affliction, and His mercy endures forever. Yet we must learn what manner of things we should ask. Miracles, without soberness of life, may even do harm, puffing up the soul or leading it to seek only the sign and not the Giver. Many who sought miracles fell away; but a life that shines with patience and endurance is itself the greater wonder. John the Baptist worked no miracle, yet he drew multitudes to repentance. The example of Job, enduring without any sign from heaven, amazed the devil himself. A soul firmly trusting God in the midst of pain is a living miracle, more precious than the restoration of the body.

Therefore, instead of demanding a miracle as if we could command the blood of Christ to fall upon her, pray thus: 'Lord, if it be Thy will, grant healing to ###; but if not, give her grace to bear her suffering as a true disciple, that her soul may be perfected and Thy name glorified.' For sometimes Christ delays the miracle, as at the tomb of Lazarus, to bestow a far greater good. He wept then, showing His human nature, yet He restrained His power until the right time, that many might believe. Trust that He knows the hour. His power to heal is as mighty as ever, but His wisdom is deeper than our asking.

Lastly, thank God not only for the miracle you hope to see, but for the present trial. For tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. Let ### unite her pains to the sufferings of Christ, and wait upon the Lord with courage. That is the true medicine of the soul, often working a cure that the body's medicine cannot. Cease from demanding portents, and seek the kingdom of God first; then all these things will be added as He sees fit.

 

[Silas]

The ache you carry for your sister and the urgency in your words are heard. Pain, whether it comes through illness, injury, or the weariness of the body, is a deep and real affliction. It is right to cry out for the Holy Spirit’s help and to lay hold of the promise that Jesus bore our infirmities and carried our sicknesses. He is a high priest who is not distant or cold, but one who is deeply moved by our weaknesses. When He walked the earth, He groaned in His spirit at the sight of human suffering; He wept with those who grieved. That same compassion has not faded. He sees your sister right now.

It can be confusing when we read in Scripture how healings happened. Sometimes Jesus spoke a single word and a person was restored in an instant. Other times, He touched their eyes, and sight came back. There was even a moment when a man’s healing was gradual, his vision cleared in stages as Jesus ministered to him a second time. There is much about healing that remains a mystery to us. We do not always know why some are delivered immediately and others walk a longer road with their pain. But every true healing, whether it comes in a dramatic moment or through the slow, natural processes God designed within the body, is a divine gift. The wisdom of the doctor, the effect of the medicine, the mending of tissue, these are all the Lord’s work, no less than a sudden miracle.

Do not let doubt creep in because relief has not yet come. The fact that good and faithful people suffer is not a sign that God has forgotten them. We live in a world that groans under the weight of sin’s entry long ago, a world where pain is an intruder. Until that final day when He wipes away every tear and we are delivered from these bodies of weakness, we lean into His mercy. Jesus Himself often told those He healed not to broadcast it, yet He acted, time and again, because of His love for the hurting. He still acts. Pray boldly for a gift of healing for your sister’s body, and trust that even now, God can touch her mind and spirit to bear up under this burden. Let us ask for a miracle of relief today, while also trusting the hand of the One who sustains her through each hour. May the peace of Christ guard her heart, and may the wisdom of the Spirit guide every step of her care until the pain is lifted.