Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You have prayed well to ask the Father for a hedge of protection around your son, and to call upon Him to deliver him from every form of abuse. For the angels are indeed ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation. Do not think it a small thing that God would dispatch these holy servants on behalf of your child, if he is among the heirs of promise. Yet remember that the Son is far above all angels, and it is He who works the true deliverance. For He took on flesh that through death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, and bring deliverance to those enslaved by fear. If your son belongs to Christ, he has received the Spirit of adoption, and no abuse can separate him from the love of God. The wicked may assault the body or trouble the soul, but the inner man is kept safe by the peace that passes understanding.
Nevertheless, prayer must be joined to action. You have a talent of protection; use it. Expose the deeds of darkness by bringing them into the light of the Church and of righteous authority. Do not be timid or show partiality, nor fear the faces of evildoers. As Paul charged Timothy before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels, keep yourself pure and act without prejudice. If you know of abuse, do not hide it under a pretense of patience. The Lord hates a false balance, and concealing wickedness is no virtue. Surround your son with godly men and women who will labor for his safety, as Paul commended those who worked with him in the Gospel and needed protection. Nothing is so pleasing to God as to live for the common advantage, and to rescue the oppressed is a sacrifice most acceptable.
If your son is suffering now, teach him not to despise the cross, but to look to the Master who for his sake endured to be made a little lower than the angels, and then was crowned with glory and honor. This is our glory: not that we escape every trouble, but that in the midst of it we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Pray then that his heart be filled with strength, but also labor that the evil be stopped. The angels stand ready to serve, but they serve a Lord who commands us to be His hands in this world. And know this: if your son is in Christ, his name is written in the book of life, and no violence can blot it out. Hold fast to that hope, and press on in prayer and righteous action until the darkness is turned to light.
Nevertheless, prayer must be joined to action. You have a talent of protection; use it. Expose the deeds of darkness by bringing them into the light of the Church and of righteous authority. Do not be timid or show partiality, nor fear the faces of evildoers. As Paul charged Timothy before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels, keep yourself pure and act without prejudice. If you know of abuse, do not hide it under a pretense of patience. The Lord hates a false balance, and concealing wickedness is no virtue. Surround your son with godly men and women who will labor for his safety, as Paul commended those who worked with him in the Gospel and needed protection. Nothing is so pleasing to God as to live for the common advantage, and to rescue the oppressed is a sacrifice most acceptable.
If your son is suffering now, teach him not to despise the cross, but to look to the Master who for his sake endured to be made a little lower than the angels, and then was crowned with glory and honor. This is our glory: not that we escape every trouble, but that in the midst of it we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Pray then that his heart be filled with strength, but also labor that the evil be stopped. The angels stand ready to serve, but they serve a Lord who commands us to be His hands in this world. And know this: if your son is in Christ, his name is written in the book of life, and no violence can blot it out. Hold fast to that hope, and press on in prayer and righteous action until the darkness is turned to light.
