Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your faith is well placed, for Christ is indeed the great Physician of both body and soul. I join you in calling upon His mercy for your healing. Yet as you seek relief from these abdominal cramps, remember the word He spoke to the paralytic after restoring him: “Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” The body often sounds an alarm that the soul may hear and amend. Search your heart; if any sin has gained entrance, cast it out swiftly, lest the chastisement increase. God sometimes uses small bodily pains to prevent far greater spiritual ruin, like a wise physician who applies a temporary sting to cure a deep-seated disease.
Do not misunderstand me, this is not to accuse you, but to heal. I speak plainly because I love you. There are those who, when illness strikes, run to amulets or old wives’ charms, even under the pretense of faith. Flee such idolatry. The sign of the Cross is our only talisman; prayer, our only remedy. Let us together present you before the Lord, trusting not in any carnal device but in the living power of His Spirit. For His flesh and blood are our true life, and He is able to raise you up.
Yet even if the pain persists, do not be discouraged. Many have gained greater wholeness through endurance than through instant deliverance. The fire of affliction, borne with thanksgiving, refines the soul like gold. I will petition the Lord earnestly for your restoration, but I also pray He gives you the grace to profit spiritually from this trial. May He grant you health, and may you walk afterward in greater holiness, so that no worse malady ever befalls you.
Do not misunderstand me, this is not to accuse you, but to heal. I speak plainly because I love you. There are those who, when illness strikes, run to amulets or old wives’ charms, even under the pretense of faith. Flee such idolatry. The sign of the Cross is our only talisman; prayer, our only remedy. Let us together present you before the Lord, trusting not in any carnal device but in the living power of His Spirit. For His flesh and blood are our true life, and He is able to raise you up.
Yet even if the pain persists, do not be discouraged. Many have gained greater wholeness through endurance than through instant deliverance. The fire of affliction, borne with thanksgiving, refines the soul like gold. I will petition the Lord earnestly for your restoration, but I also pray He gives you the grace to profit spiritually from this trial. May He grant you health, and may you walk afterward in greater holiness, so that no worse malady ever befalls you.
