4th Sunday of Great Lent
Hebrews 6:13-20; Mark 9:17-31

Today we read the Gospel story about the physical and spiritual healing of a son and a father. The father explained to Jesus what kind of illness his son had:

"And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid." (Mark 9,18)

Among our people, such a disease was simply called "the falling". In medicine, such a disease is called epilepsy (from the Greek epilipsia – to be seized or attacked).

Descriptions and mentions of this disease can be found in very ancient times among various peoples of the world. The father of modern medicine, the Greek doctor Hippocrates, described epilepsy 400 years before the birth of Jesus Christ on earth. Essentially, that description coincides with the description provided in the Gospel.

Epileptic seizures may occur, as the father who brought the boy to Jesus claimed, from early childhood. An epileptic attack occurs mostly without warning: a person suddenly falls, teeth are clenched, breathing stops, because of this, foam can come out of the mouth, sometimes with blood, due to biting of the tongue, and the human body is seized by convulsions, the pupils in the eyes become dilated, eyes do not react to light. Due to cessation of breathing, the face may turn blue, hence the common name for epilepsy - "black disease".

Following one to several seconds after an attack, a person falls asleep - for half an hour, an hour or more. After waking up, a person does not remember anything and returns to normality. But sometimes an attack--due to cessation of breathing and lack of access of oxygen to the blood, and to the brain--can damage the brain and can cause death.

Epileptic attacks can occur several times a day, once a month, once every six months. Sometimes attacks are preceded by headaches in the patient.

It is surprising that, despite the great development of medicine, none of the learned doctors can definitely prove what the disease is, and no one has yet invented a medicine to cure epileptics. (Medicines are used as preventive measures before attacks, as means of control and so that attacks of the disease can harm the human body as little as possible.)

But Christ, as we heard from the Gospel, was able to definitively cure and restore the health of an epileptic. When the apostles asked why they could not heal the epileptic boy, Jesus said:

"This kind comes out only through prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29).

Thus, Christ testified that an epileptic can be healed only by prayer and fasting. That He healed the boy by the grace of God is certainly clear to everyone.

Interestingly, one of the latest means of treatment of epilepsy is that doctors prescribe a specific diet.

Medical literature and encyclopedias mention treatment with a diet, that is, physical fasting; nothing is mentioned regarding prayer. But to the disciples-apostles and to us, through the Gospel, the Lord says that serious disease - epilepsy, like, obviously, many other diseases, should and can be treated with fasting and prayer.

Our ancestors may have been less educated, and the means of scientific information, in particular medicine, were less accessible to them; but they were able to cure themselves of many diseases by sincere prayer and sincere fasting.

Nowadays, doctors advise us a lot and prescribe for the treatment of heart diseases, gallstones, ulcers of the stomach, intestines and other diseases - diet, that is, physical fasting. But wise doctors will never be against prayer.

From time immemorial, according to the instructions of its Divine Teacher and Physician, the Church of Christ established and advises us to practise fasting and prayer for the healing of soul and body. Those means have been tried and tested over the ages, and we must should accept and practise them. Especially, during Great Lent.

It is worth recalling and remembering here that Christ, as we heard from the Gospel story, healed not only the epileptic boy, He healed the father of that boy from lack of faith.

The father turned to Jesus:

"And when you can, take pity on us and help us!"

"Jesus answered him: 'As for (your) ‘if you are able’, - to him who believes, all things are possible!'

"Now the boy's father shouted and said:

'I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:22-24).

The Lord can do everything; the Lord is able to heal us from any diseases. Another matter is whether we are worthy of His mercy or whether we are ready to acquire the great faith that is necessary for God to heal us, because according to our faith or the faith of our neighbours, as all the Gospel stories testify, the Lord heals and restores all people .

Many of us have that mistrust; many of us believe only with our mind, and not with our whole heart and all our feelings-sensibilities, and only a great sorrow, misfortune moves all our feelings and we strive to discover a real deep faith.

Let us be sincere before God, before Christ, like that father, and if we lack the great, strong faith, then let there be a cry of our soul:

"I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).

Amen.

Very Rev. Fr. Taras Slavchenko

Taras Slavchenko was born on March 8, 1918 in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine. After graduating from school and the Pedagogical College, he entered the language and literature faculty of the Scientific Pedagogical Institute. Having successfully completed it in 1938, he served as a teacher in a secondary school.

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