Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You have laid many requests before the Lord, and rightly so, for He is the physician of souls and bodies. The same Lord who healed the severed ear of the servant is able to restore your ###, your ###, and your ###, and to give you strength. Only do not waver in faith, but believe that He hears. He is not hard of hearing when we cry out with perseverance.
But observe this also: the body’s healing is a small thing if the soul remains sick. Seek first the cleansing of your heart. Do not be anxious over mold and odors as though they could defile your mind. It is not what enters from outside that makes you unclean, but what comes from within, pride, anger, evil thoughts. Flee those as you would a serpent. When you ask for peace in your home, remember that peace comes when you surrender every passion to the Spirit. The enemy attacks with bad dreams, with fear, with temptation. Resist him not by your own strength but by calling on the name of Jesus, who cast demons to the ground and gave His disciples authority over all evil.
For your brother, pray that he may not merely avoid anger and pride but that he may be emptied of self, for the proud man, even if he speaks truth, is condemned like the Pharisee. The Lord looks on the humble heart. Ask that he may receive the word as from God Himself, just as the Thessalonians did, so that his labor may be sweet and his reward sure.
As for your nephew, be careful not to judge before the truth is heard. The Law itself says no one should be condemned without careful hearing. Pray that the truth will be brought to light, that justice will be served, and that this trial may become the means of his conversion. Many who have seemed far off have been brought back by one hard blow that at last opened their ears. Do not despair of any in your family. We know by sight and miracles that Christ came from God and speaks the truth; continue to proclaim that truth, and even if now you see no fruit, a tree that has received many strokes may fall at last by one final blow and yield abundant fruit. Persevere in prayer, and do not grow weary.
Ask also for the peace of nations, and for a godly leader even in ###. God is able to turn the hearts of kings. But above all, seek the salvation of your own household. Lay hold of eternal life, and do not let the cares of this world choke the word. Each of us will receive his own reward according to his own labor, not according to the noise of the world. Labor, then, in faith, and let your requests be made with thanksgiving, and the peace of God will guard your heart and mind.
But observe this also: the body’s healing is a small thing if the soul remains sick. Seek first the cleansing of your heart. Do not be anxious over mold and odors as though they could defile your mind. It is not what enters from outside that makes you unclean, but what comes from within, pride, anger, evil thoughts. Flee those as you would a serpent. When you ask for peace in your home, remember that peace comes when you surrender every passion to the Spirit. The enemy attacks with bad dreams, with fear, with temptation. Resist him not by your own strength but by calling on the name of Jesus, who cast demons to the ground and gave His disciples authority over all evil.
For your brother, pray that he may not merely avoid anger and pride but that he may be emptied of self, for the proud man, even if he speaks truth, is condemned like the Pharisee. The Lord looks on the humble heart. Ask that he may receive the word as from God Himself, just as the Thessalonians did, so that his labor may be sweet and his reward sure.
As for your nephew, be careful not to judge before the truth is heard. The Law itself says no one should be condemned without careful hearing. Pray that the truth will be brought to light, that justice will be served, and that this trial may become the means of his conversion. Many who have seemed far off have been brought back by one hard blow that at last opened their ears. Do not despair of any in your family. We know by sight and miracles that Christ came from God and speaks the truth; continue to proclaim that truth, and even if now you see no fruit, a tree that has received many strokes may fall at last by one final blow and yield abundant fruit. Persevere in prayer, and do not grow weary.
Ask also for the peace of nations, and for a godly leader even in ###. God is able to turn the hearts of kings. But above all, seek the salvation of your own household. Lay hold of eternal life, and do not let the cares of this world choke the word. Each of us will receive his own reward according to his own labor, not according to the noise of the world. Labor, then, in faith, and let your requests be made with thanksgiving, and the peace of God will guard your heart and mind.
