Sunday of the Crippled Woman
Readings St. Luke 13: 10- 17 , I Peter 3:8-16 , Romans 12: 1-15
"And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."
It is the first time that it stuck me that crippled woman was at the Synagogue to be seen the Lord to be healed. Very often, we too have to come to stand in prayer and in the temple before God to be healed by Him . It is reminder to stand in prayer even when not expecting a sudden reply or even when what we have come to ask may not be as expected by God to have that expectation that all seeing God may yet have mercy upon us and heal us ,and touch us as He did the crippled woman.
Wonderful how we need to focus and see the Epistle Reading that tells -
'Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:'Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing'
"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers."
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
as well as the reading from Romans 12
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Another message that I have read or heard is how at this specific event in a specific moment in time when the Eternal God willed to be incarnate in His temple of the Old Israel, of the chosen people. He chose to make straight that was bend and in His mercy continues to making straight all of creation through His Church where He dwells in its fullness by His very presence . Like the rulers of the Synagogue ,we the custodians those baptised and especially the Clergy called to serve chose to see only the legal implications and not see and glorify as the Crippled woman gave Glory to Him whom all Glory is due. Our very birthright to which we are born gain as ' Orthodox Christians' (' Christians who give 'Right Glory' )have reduced to become sectarian and fallen short of our calling. Let us cry out and seek His Mercy that he may yet heal us and through us heal this world, which has fallen short of what good it was created to be.
