Who touched Me? – Metropolitan Nahum of Strumica
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” And as He went, the multitudes thronged around Him. Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. ”(Luke 8 : 43–44).
Just as blood is necessary for the life of the body, so the grace of God is necessary for the true life of the soul. And as the body dies if the blood runs out, so too, the soul dies if the grace of God departs from it.
At the first stage of our spiritual development, purification of the heart from lewd passions, we are in a constant struggle to stop that outflow and loss of grace from us. As we transfigure our passions, our spiritual life is unstable and it often happens that we fall and rise spiritually, but in that process, we also learn how to keep grace within us. We also learn how, and when grace is concealed from us, and, on those occasions, we need to live, just as when the grace is present and when it helps us openly. In this struggle, in this constant ascetic coercion of ourselves and self-motivation, lies the secret of our spiritual development.
Deviation from prayer to God and the dispersion of our proud and darkened minds are the main reason for the loss of grace. And as St. Nicholas Kavasila says somewhere: “That is why we partake of the Holy Communion every Sunday’s Liturgy, that is, so often, in order to renew the seal of Christ in our unstable nature”, i.e. to renew the grace of Christ in us.
It is only at the second stage of the spiritual development, enlightenment of the mind, from when we know the “place of the heart” by receiving the gift of the prayer of the mind in the heart, we get to know within ourselves the inexhaustible source of God’s grace. And because we have a real connection (touch) with Christ, the process of constant loss of grace ceases, just as the blood flow ceased in the woman with blood issues. Then we receive that constant joy and light.
So, we need to find the right way to touch Christ, because many people pushed and touched Him, but He only pointed the woman with the blood flow as someone who truly touched Him.
At the first stage of spiritual growth, the true touch to (connection with) Christ is the purification of the heart from the passions through the fulfilment of His commandments, within the framework of wholehearted obedience.
At the second stage, the real touch to (connection with) Christ is the hours-long duration of prayerful abiding of the mind in the heart and love, love even for the enemies, as well as the pastoral struggle and sacrifice.
The true connection with Christ reveals to us the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven within us, in our spiritual heart, i.e. the grace of the Holy Spirit the Lord, and reveals to us the power of the transfiguration and the joy of Christ’s resurrection.
The mystery of Christ’s resurrection will remain inaccessible and undiscovered to all who do not accept and deny the way of true touch (connection) with Christ, to those who do not harmonise their way of life with the level of spiritual development at which they find themselves; and they, as those who mock and do not believe, will be banned from entering and will fail to see the resurrection of the soul and the body whilst in this world and age, just as it happened to those who did not see the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter.
The part of the Gospel reading in which the God-Man Christ prevents the desperation of Jairus, as well as ours many times, especially brings warm-heartedness: “Whilst He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, ‘Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.’ But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.’” (Luke 8: 49-50).
Lord Jesus Christ, for the sake of the Theotokos, forgive me and have mercy on me, a sinner!
Metropolitan of Strumica Nahum
(04.12.2021 16:51)
