Metropolitan Nahum of Strumica: Prayerful labour or helpless waiting
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Today’s festive gospel reading (John 1: 35–51) is another historical testimony and a concrete example of a perfect prayerful union and relationship between God and man; testimony of a fulfilled prayer.
When Christ says to Nathanael, “When you were under the fig tree, I saw thee,” in fact, He reveals to him Who has heard him, but also Who has answered the prayer while he was praying under the fig tree. And Nathanael with his answer: “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel! ”- reveals and testifies to us that, in the God-Man Jesus Christ he recognizes the One to whom he prayed and Whom he only sought in his prayer – the Son of God and the King of Israel, the expected Messiah.
Thus, I do not know what to admire first: the Nathanael devoted prayer, in which he seeks only Him; or its perfect fulfilment – both as a mystical experience and as a personal encounter in reality – by the God-Man Christ?
Whereas in the festive gospel reading we notice an active relationship with Christ, where Nathanael prayerfully and personally tries to meet Him, in the gospel reading of the day (Luke 13: 10-17) we notice a passive attitude towards Christ, by the woman who was possessed by the spirit of weakness for eighteen years; although she has no physical obstacle to come and ask Him for help.
Thus, many of those who have spent many years in the Church, if they are honest with themselves, will recognize the state of their soul much more in the woman possessed by the spirit of powerlessness than in Nathanael’s prayerful attitude towards the Son of God. Why is that?
The demonic thoughts (suggestions) of doubt and hesitation, which arise from self-love and lack of faith, as well as the fear, insecurity and reluctance that follow such thoughts – weakens and drains the spirit in man, and hold him captive by the passions for the earthly things, bent, that is, completely directed towards this world, as towards something supposedly “safer” support.
There is no more undignified way for man – as an icon of God, called to become likeness of God, to lose his similarity i.e. God’s image in himself (in every aspect) and to miss the purpose for which he is destined, from the direction and certainty in the transient and the perishable earthly things. From this and such a condition only the God-Man Jesus Christ can heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, through Bogorodica (Birth-Giver-of-God), heal our weaknesses!
Metropolitan Naum of Strumica
(13.12.2020 11:22)
