Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast. Memory of Our Holy Father John Climacus 2024
Byzantine Lenten Homilies • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewThe demonic is real and around us, but the gospel narrative indicates that the key to defeating the demonic is trust in Jesus and his blood, for only he has the ultimate power to destroy the demonic. This means for us prayer and fasting to clean our lives of any blocks and to become channels open to his will and to his authority. This is the Jesus we hear with us in our bodies into the world.
Notes
Transcript
Divine Liturgy of St Basil
Ambon Prayer 16
Our Holy Father John Climacus; the Holy Martyr Codratus and His Companions
Title
Title
Bring Him to Me
Outline
Outline
The destructiveness of the demonic is not surprising
The destructiveness of the demonic is not surprising
The demonic spirit silences the one known as “my son” for he does not want his voice heard.
The demonic spirit also causes seizures, including those that might have drowned or burned the person, both because of the demon’s destructive desires and to terrorize others. Notice that he never kills the son, for he is limited to what God permits.
Trust in Jesus is the key
Trust in Jesus is the key
Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, so the disciples, the trainees, were asked to help, but they are unable, apparently because they were trusting in their skills rather than trusting in Jesus. So Jesus says, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you?” They would have to learn to trust Jesus even in his apparent absence.
The father of the son is sceptical, perhaps because of the disciples’ inability: “If you can . . .” Jesus calls for trust: “All things are possible to him who believes.” Of course the all things are all within the will of God. St Paul was afflicted by a demon despite his prayers. It is the cry of “I believe, help my unbelief” that is enough for Jesus, for it places the son under the authority of Jesus, no matter how weakly.
Jesus then makes short shrift of the demon. Notice how he forbids its re-entry.
The disciples had a lesson to learn:
The disciples had a lesson to learn:
“This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.” Victory over demons is not a skill to be learned, but Jesus’ power to be channeled. Prayer and fasting purifies us - as we are learning during the Great Fast - and allows us to be channels of the will of God. The real exorcists know that they have no power of their own but also know that Jesus has all power
It is no surprise that Jesus then gives another passion prediction.
It is no surprise that Jesus then gives another passion prediction.
It is in his passion and resurrection that Jesus defeats the demonic as well as sin and death. So even now we invoke the blood of Jesus, the blood of passion, against demons. We pray to the Theotokos as well, for it is through her that the Word became flesh with flesh and blood to give for the life of the world. Furthermore, it is in our humble identification with the crucified one that his resurrection life can flow through us to those he chooses to set free at any given time.
Brothers and Sisters, there are dark forces out there
Brothers and Sisters, there are dark forces out there
The devil is the father of lies, and there are lies and deception out there.
The devil loves death and is opposed to life, and there are many who would lead us and our children into the way of death.
Finally, it is through our disconnect from Jesus that the demonic can get control over us and our families, which is another reason to spend time in prayer and repentance.
There are situations in which God allows us to be afflicted by the demonic as part of identification with the cross, as in the case of Paul. But generally the message is: trust Jesus, go to Jesus, humble yourself and cling to his cross, and the powers of darkness will avoid you even if they reign around you in our land.