What Happens AFTER is What Matters!

When Our Lord was met by the road by a blind man begging. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18.38) Over and over the man called out to Jesus for mercy. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” FINALLY, Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18.41) The man only wanted to be able to see. “Receive your sight, your faith has made you well.” (Luke 18.42) The miracle isn’t the only important thing to hear in this Gospel story.

We know Jesus can heal us. We know Jesus can forgive us. We know Jesus has the power to do for us, what we need Him to do. Today I want us to focus on what happened after God healed the man. “And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people when they saw it, gave praise to God.” (Luke 18.43)

We have all witnessed the power of God, if we take a moment and consider the blessings that God has given us. Whether it was physical healing, or the healing of a relationship, we all have a story we could share about God’s mercy in our life. I’m often hearing stories about “answered prayers” sometimes even from complete strangers. It is what happens AFTER God has helped us that matters more than the miracle. It is what we choose to do AFTER we have been healed that matters. It how we choose to live AFTER God has rescued us that really matters.

In the Gospel, we are told the man followed Jesus, glorifying God. The Greek word, “δοξάζων” is an action verb. The man didn’t just glorify God once but was “glorifying” Him continually. If this man had simply turned, thanked Jesus, and walked away otherwise unchanged, the story would have been unimportant. Instead, the interaction between the man and Jesus CHANGED the way the man lived, and his new life inspired others to praise God as the story also says.

Each of us have been blessed by God, but has the encounter changed the way we live? Has being blessed by God, whether it was a miracle or not, created the ACTION within us to be constantly glorifying God, so that others could see God’s love? Remember, it isn’t what happens when God blesses us. It matters how we are changed after God blesses us.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In the Law of Moses, it was permissible for travelers to take fruit or wheat from vineyards or fields but only what they could eat and they could not take more with them (Deut. 23:24,25). This was because most travel those days was done on foot and this would be a gift that the people would offer to any traveler or passersby. God, through Moses, ensured that the weary travelers, would not die from starvation. So, in the case of the holy Apostles in Saturday’s Gospel Reading, the plucking and eating the grains of the wheat was not condemnable by the Law. But the Pharisees who opposed the teaching of our Lord found another opportunity to attack the Lord in their hope to discredit Him. They disassociated the fact that the plucking of the wheat was done for survival and they stressed only the fact that it was done on the Sabbath day. The Sabbath was the commanded day of rest. Therefore, in their view the plucking and the rubbing of the wheat constituted labor, and as such, it was forbidden on the Sabbath day.

What the Pharisees failed to take into account was that the Law of Moses was given to the chosen people to make their lives better, safer and easier to manage. The Commandments of God are very similar to streets signs. Street signs guide us and keep us safe on the road. It would be very difficult to find one’s way in a city without street signs. And it is just as difficult to navigate the spiritual life without the Commandments. Preventing the Apostles from eating of the wheat might have cost the life of one or more of the Apostles. The Gospel narrative does not tell us how long the Apostles had been without food. To show the Pharisees their error, our Lord used the example of King David who was and is much beloved (we still use the Book of Psalms, that he wrote, today in all of our Prayer Services). So if David, a Prophet, a man guided by God, ate of the bread offered to the Temple (and for the use of the priests only) and he also gave it to his companions in order to preserve his, and their lives, this should be sufficient to prove that the Law of Moses was not being interpreted correctly by the Pharisees.

The ultimate goal of the Commandments of God is the wellbeing and the physical and spiritual health of the people. For this reason, these same Commandments of God prescribe the Sabbath Rest (which for us Christians, we get two days Saturday and Sunday). The Sabbath Day’s commands rest. Christ told them that this rest was given to benefit man and not for man to make himself subservient of the Sabbath’s rest. The whole point is recuperating from a work week and to give Glory and Thanks to God, not to work harder in order to observe that same Sabbath.

May our Lord grant us discernment to understand and correctly apply His commandments in our lives so that we may not deviate from the therapeutic path to Salvation that Church offers in the Sacraments. Amen.

In Christ,

Fr. Simeon Pardalis

Memorials

Saturday - January 23

Mary Ellen Koumantareas - 40 day

Michael Psilakis - 40 Day

 Sunday - January 24

  Manuel Manousos - 6 Months

ST NICHOLAS CATHEDRAL REOPENS FOR PRAYER TUESDAY THRU FRIDAY FROM 11:00 AM TO 1:00 PM

 All ministries wishing to sign up and host the Coffee Hour, please contact Chris Palaidis at 727-808-3895, once the hall reopens.

St. Nicholas Kitchen will continue preparing the Monday meals from 7:30 – 11:00 am. The meals will be delivered to the new Hope Center at the Sheppard center where the meals will be given to those in need by their and our volunteers. We will still need volunteers, food and monetary donations. Meals will be served from 11:00 – 12:00 pm. For further information, please call Chris Palaidis at (727) 808-3895.  

MAKE AN OFFERING OF OIL - Following the ancient tradition of the Temple as commanded by God, Orthodox Christians bring an offering of olive oil to be continually burned in the Church lamps, serving as a reminder of the presence of the Light of God. We invite anyone to make an offering of oil to the Church along with the names of loved ones & friends who are alive in the Lord, or alive with us on Earth, so that we may pray for you, your family and friends.

  *THE DEADLINE IS MONDAY 5PM FOR ALL BULLETIN INFORMATION*

 Memorial & Artoklasia Service Planning