A few years ago I had the opportunity to serve as a judge for a youth speech competition run by a local group of multi-denominational Protestant churches. I was asked to join a panel of judges in the Apologetics division of the competition.
The participants took on a variety of different topics and some, though not many, included citations from the Fathers of the Church, notably Athansius the Athonite whose apologetics were key to conquering a number of heresies in the early Church.
One especially interesting presentation with an equally interesting twist dealt with how the sins that spawn heresies cause spiritual paralysis. This ties in very nicely with today’s gospel pericope.
The paralytic in today’s gospel is not only physically paralyzed, he is also paralyzed from the ravages of sin. Sin truly causes paralysis of the soul and spirit. However, the paralytic can’t do it alone. The paralytic couldn’t just get up and go to Christ and seek healing. It took the faith of his friends and community to bring him into Christ’s presence and seek healing. This paralytic may have been the same one brought to Christ in another account by cutting a hole in the roof of a house where Christ was staying and preaching and lowering the paralytic in front of Christ. Thus the paralytic’s friends and community showed great faith.
Christ does indeed heal the paralytic. Several important principles that prove Christ’s divinity are at work in this healing:
1. Jesus Christ knows the secrets of men’s hearts because he is both God and Man.
2. He is able to grant forgiveness of the paralytic’s sins—only God can do that.
3. Christ heals the paralytic’s paralysis—both physical and spiritual—by his word alone.
These facts are not coincidental. Both the writers of the Scriptures and the early Church was effectively protected from the Monthelite heresy that was prevalent in the early 600’s. This heresy stated that essentially Jesus Christ had only one will—it was either human or divine, but not both at the same time, hence the term monthelite (Greek for one will). Jesus Christ has two wills—human and divine—unconfused and undivided. This fact cannot be explained by mere intellectual arguments. It is understood by the experience of the Church and the experience of the apostles during Christ’s time.
This gospel also shows another aspect of our faith. It is a working faith. That is, it is a faith that is not only based on God’s grace in Jesus Christ, it is a faith that is also based on an expression of that faith by man through his works. This is why St. Paul wrote, “faith without works is dead.” Faith without works is not faith at all.
The fact of the matter is that each one of us has been given a measure of faith and at least one gift or talent. Some have more than one, often many more gifts. St. Paul identified seven gifts, though there are many more.The gifts St. Paul identified include:Prophecy
- Ministry
- Teaching
- Almsgiving
This is by no means a complete list, but a starting point. The epistle also supports the need for many social ministries in our parishes. In fact, the most vibrant parishes, not only in Orthodox Churches, but in other Christian denominations as well, have many ministries, the number being sufficient for all of the community’s faithful to utilize their God-given gifts and talents. This is an area where our Diocese and the entire Orthodox faithful of all our jurisdictions can work together.
Some of the ministries many communities have require some creativity on the part of their members and Diocesan leadership. Among them, one parish has a very vibrant ministry helping the unemployed develop job search skills, and helps them find suitable employment. This ministry is not only for members of the parish community—it is open to anyone who is looking for a job. The benefits to the parish and community at large of Christ-centered job search are invaluable.
Another parish runs a senior day care center, complete with arts, crafts, spiritual, and emotional support and fellowship. These seniors also reach out to children within the parish and the local school system teaching arts, crafts, dancing, and music. The ministry possibilities are endless. All we need is imagination and a willingness to think out of the box and not get stuck in the proverbial rut.
Finally, the way we use are gifts is to build up the body of Christ, the Church, and the surrounding community at large. This means that we must use our gifts in humility and self-control. Everyone has something to offer. One gift is not better than another. All gifts are needed. We must empower and build up everyone in the community without showing favoritism, without snubbing anyone because they do not have the same understanding of faith issues we do and so on. Everyone should be recognized for the good they do to build the Church and community at large no matter how great or small it may appear. There is not a single parish or community in the Orthodox Church or other Christian denominations that could not improve in this area. Even in the most ideal model parishes, there is always room for improvement and for new ministries to form.