Chrysostom
Beloved of All
See the affliction of your sister and let it quicken your feet to prayer as the servants hastened to root up the tares, not for punishment but for the preservation of what was sown. Her body is Christ’s planting, and this infection assails it. Let your cry be as their urgency, looking only to her restoration.
Consider the sister of Lazarus. She regarded not the crowd nor the suspicion of enemies. She cast aside all mortal concerns before her Master, given up solely to His honor. Do likewise. Stand before the Lord with such ardor for your sister’s healing. Let no thought of worthlessness or multitude of fears hinder you. Lay her need at His feet, trusting that He who loves her as a friend will come, even if He seems to delay. Did He not say, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth,” and then go to him? So too, He is moved by your affection. Though the illness seems urgent, though the fever burns, know that He hears your groaning. Pray not with a reluctant heart, but with the fire that says, “I will lay down my life” for her good. Be not like a bloated bladder, puffed up with anxiety, but self-subdued and steadfast, a spiritual physician at the throne of grace. Entreat Him who fashioned the body to command this ailment to depart. In your petition, be the beloved and faithful fellow-servant, pressing the matter with confidence, for He is the Healer, and your sister’s soul and body are precious in His sight. Therefore ask boldly. Seek her relief. Trust the Master’s timing, and let your prayer be unceasing, as one who knows His love cannot fail.
Consider the sister of Lazarus. She regarded not the crowd nor the suspicion of enemies. She cast aside all mortal concerns before her Master, given up solely to His honor. Do likewise. Stand before the Lord with such ardor for your sister’s healing. Let no thought of worthlessness or multitude of fears hinder you. Lay her need at His feet, trusting that He who loves her as a friend will come, even if He seems to delay. Did He not say, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth,” and then go to him? So too, He is moved by your affection. Though the illness seems urgent, though the fever burns, know that He hears your groaning. Pray not with a reluctant heart, but with the fire that says, “I will lay down my life” for her good. Be not like a bloated bladder, puffed up with anxiety, but self-subdued and steadfast, a spiritual physician at the throne of grace. Entreat Him who fashioned the body to command this ailment to depart. In your petition, be the beloved and faithful fellow-servant, pressing the matter with confidence, for He is the Healer, and your sister’s soul and body are precious in His sight. Therefore ask boldly. Seek her relief. Trust the Master’s timing, and let your prayer be unceasing, as one who knows His love cannot fail.
