Homily on the Paralytic Who Was Lowered from the Roof
(6th Sunday of Matthew - Matt. 9:1-8)
(6th Sunday of Matthew - Matt. 9:1-8)
By Patriarch John VIII Xiphilinos of Constantinople (+ 1075)
The souls of those who imitate the diligence and industry of bees in a God-loving way are attracted by the sweetness of divine words and reap from them useful and most beneficial things, flying like them over the meadows and collecting from all the evergreen herbs and flowers what is most useful there. And from some words they gather the flower of temperance; from others that of justice; from others that of wisdom; from others that of courage; from others the flower of sympathy and philanthropy towards fellow-servants; from here that of meekness and leniency; from there that of patience and forbearance in suffering. And in general, gathering from everywhere everything that contributes to the salvation of the soul, they deposit it in the hive of the heart, process it and prepare there the honey of virtues, which is "sweeter than honey and the honeycomb."
Let us, therefore, imitate them, my brethren, and when we come to this divine and beautiful meadow, the Church, let us not use our coming here as an occasion for discussions among ourselves, but let us study the Divine Scriptures, which are read for our salvation, and let us seek the spiritual benefit that flows from them, diligently, with great attention and an inquisitive disposition. In this way, sometimes being admonished about this virtue, sometimes being taught about that one, sometimes hearing exhortations about another, and constantly being educated and trained in this atmosphere, we will be able to achieve the virtues ourselves and offer to God the sweetness and illumination that is born from them within our souls, like honey and the honeycomb. For the Divine Scripture always teaches and promotes the things that are God-loving and salvific, and there is nothing in it that does not contribute to the benefit of the soul. So, since this is how things are, let us learn from the words of today's Gospel how great an evil sin is, and that it harms the soul greatly, but it is also the root cause of most physical illnesses.
