www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Healing in the Byzantine Churches

Wow, Rose...wow! Your testimony is enough to spur me on in greater faith. Thank you for it.

About two years ago I relayed the story of the Holy Myrrh excluding from the skull of St Panteleimon and how it was brought back from Mt Athos via Moscow, via Vilnuis Lithuania, via Tulsa to our parish by a member.
The oil was originally brought back for me by my adopted son (because I have gone through two bouts of cancer), I shared it with the parish. We were all anointed including myself, a woman who had IBC and was told she was terminal and another parishioner who had bladder cancer. A little of the Holy Myrrh was also taken to a friend by my adopted son to Tulsa (where he now lives) where a woman of his parish with bone marrow cancer was anointed.
It's been two years now and all four of us are in remission. All our current tests show no signs of active cancer cells.

OrthoMan

[ 04-18-2002: Message edited by: OrthoMan ]

Monk Siloun,
The Holy Myrrh of St. Nicholas in our church is very fragrant. The little clear for lack of a better word jar holding the Myrrh is filled with water and the Myrrh rests on the bottom but when you open it up it fills the room. Lazareno, you are right about the spelling mistakes, it def. needs much tlc.
-uc

Dear UC,

What I always found amazing about the Myrrh of St Nicholas is that even the jars in which it was formerly contained in are kept and venerated as holy Relics!

Alex

Alex,
I see the same thing in the West where people venerate a cloth that was touched to a glove of Padre Pio or to a habit worn by St. Teresea. We have a large supply so we won't run out anytime soon.
-ukrainiancatholic

Dear UC,

Good for you, and this is all very Scriptural, since people touched such cloths to Sts. Peter and Paul as you know!

Relics are really a good example of "Making the Holy Spirit matter . . ."

Alex

Rose,

Your story gave me the chills. God bless.

Alex,

I am having trouble with high readings when I rise in the AM. I think to myself I should be anointed again. Then I think but you receive Holy Communion every week and I believe in all aspects of it.But then again I know what I experienced after I was anointed. My BS readings were excellent and it was effortless to manage my disease. People go to Communion for many years and they are not healed, yet at a point in time they are healed by an anointing, Holy Myrrh or being touched with a saint's relic. I know Jesus is the the ultimate healing power . I guess sometimes .......I wonder if it is an affront to him to place so much emphasis on anointings,etc.

Nicky's Baba

Dear Nicky's Baba,

Anointings are fine and by all means we should have recourse to them, even frequently!

You might want to try to have some more bran, such as bran cereal, to help bring down the readings.

If you are not drinking 3 litres of liquid daily, that could also be a source of the problem.

Cinnamon is a great sugar-buster, and one could make cinnamon tea, that should be in the health food stores, and have a few good mugs of that each day.

High readings could be because of stress and if the anointing relaxes you and brings you peace - once again, by all means!

Alex

Alex,

Thank you for your suggestions but my readings are fine before I go to bed then in the AM when I wake up they are high and I don't sleep walk and raid the fridge! Tomorrow when I clean and get ready "Our storefront chapel" for Liturgy I will have a "talk" with the Lord or maybe I will just listen.

Monk Silouan,

I carry everywhere with me a collar of my deceased former Pastor. After his death I read the book"The Orthodox Way" I recognized him immediately in the book. It turns out by Bishop Kallistos's description my former Pastor was a Staretz.

Nicky's Baba

Dear Orthoman and all,

PRAISE GOD!!!!!

What a witness you gave about the healing of cancer.
Then Nicy's Baba and Alex on the sugar, awesome.
Now just imagine if we could get just the people in the Churches who suffer from these two things alone annointed with holy oil.........
I would like to think we would have a revival with people coming to be healed. Do you think they would doubt or become complacement? Wantng to see the miracles of Jesus, but not willing to take the responcibility.
Another thing that strikes me ia that each one has more or less stated in the postings they EXPECTED to be healed in some way. How much does EXPECTING Jesus to do as he says play in our healings.
Often we are taught that these healings are done for testimony to the power of God, so many will be converted.
So if we have expectant faith that God will do as he said, then we must be willing to say "yes, be it unto me as you will, acording to your word." I think the story of the man returning was excellent. He saw the majesty of God in his healing, but just wanted what Jesus wanted more. neat!

Rose

Rose

I was not healed of my illness. Actually after the anointing it was a pleasant surprise.I'm a sinner and don't expect to be healed. The question I ponder is anointings vs the Eucharist. I said in an earlier post some folks live their faith go to Liturgy and receive Communion for years,then all of a sudden they are healed through an anointing or being touched with a relic. I know I will never find the answer in the realm but doesn't anyone else out there wonder about this? Tomorrow I will tell you the story of my lady friend's healing, she was also a diabetic.


Nicky's Baba

Micky's Baba,

Looking forward to it.

I heard a priest talking about God's mercy, in that we receive Eucharist and the mercy that comes with it. Yet in some instances we may not be in the right condition spiritually to receive it. (don;t know if I'm explaining it clear enough) That the mercy is kind of on reserve (my impression) it accumulates kind of, until that moment when we are open to the grace that God has for us. Then the change takes place in us. That could be why all of the sudden there is a healing when we have been receiving Jesus for years.

I believe he used the example of someone receiving it that was not in a state of grace. That it did not condemn his soul, but because of the state he was not able to receive it at that time. Yet at some point in his life that grace and mercy from that particular time would take effect and the changes would occur. When I hear of someone taking Eucharist that is not Catholic or Orthodox, I think about their soul. But it seems to me that they will convert because they have received Jesus.

I hope I am making sence.

Nicky's Baba,

Christ is risen!

I believe what you were asking is why a special healing through the anointing when Christ's healing power is present in all seven sacramental Mysteries. It is true that all sacraments are encounters with Christ and His healing power. Yet the very fact that there are seven Mysteries is because each one has its own purpose. In the Mystery of the Divine Eucharist we can find "remission of sins", yet this pardon is received usually through the Mysteries of Penance and Baptism. Both Baptism and Penance bring about pardon of sin and restore to us life (grace) in Christ. But Penance and Baptism are nevertheless distinct in that Baptism is the beginning of Christian life, but Penance is a mystical renewal of Baptism, bringing us pardon and renewal of the divine life within us.

I believe that spiritual and even bodily healing can be given to us by the Lord in any of the seven Mysteries, but He comes to us in various ways through the various Mysteries to meet us in the various circumstances of our human life.

How manifold are Your works, O Lord! Glory to Your generosity!

HEALING (From the Orthodox Study Bible). >Caps mine<

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ANOINTING HIM WITH OIL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 15:14-15.

One of the great prophetic themes of the Old Testament concerning the promised Messiah is that the Father will send His Son "to heal the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind." (Luke 4:18; see Is. 61:1). The ministry of Christ was one of numerious occurrences of healing of "all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease" (Matt. 4:23). in addition, Jesus healed darkened hearts and minds as He released people from demonic oppression.
Like their Master before them, the early apostles participated in God's work of healing as well, attributing their miracles to the risen and ascended Christ. "Jesus the Christ heals you". Peter told a newly restored man, who had been bedridden for eight years (Acts 9:34). St Paul identified healing as a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:9). Thus the New Testament foundation was established for the healing ministry to be part of the Sacramental life of the Church (James 5:14-15).

[Healings throughout history] - The Orthodox Church has never believed or behaved as though the gifts of the Holy Spirit or the healing miracles of Christ have somehow passed away. Did not Jesus promise, "He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do. because I go to My Father" (John 14:12)?

St. Ireaneaus writing at the close of the second century, speaks of miracles in this day; "Some drive out devils...some have foreknowledge of the future...others heal the sick through the laying on of hands...and even the dead have been raised up before now and have remained with us for many years." The writings of other Church Fathers speak often of miracles within the Church.
Quite widely known or the supernatural healings which Christ performed through St Seraphim of Sarov, a ninteenth century Russian monk. He was blessed with the gift of healing during his lifetime, and even after his death people would be restored to wholeness at his graveside.

[The practice of the Church today]: To this day, the Orthodox practice of prayer for the sick follows the New Testament instruction of St James. The Orthodox Church has a special services of healing, which may be performed at any time. The presbyter prays for the ill person, anointing him with oil and saying:

"O Lord almighty, Healer of our souls and bodies, who puts down and raises up, who chastises and heals also, visit now in Your mercy or brother or sister, N------, who is ill. stretch forth your arm that is full of healing and health, and raise (him/her) up from this bed and cure this illness. Put away the spirit of disease and every malady and pain and fever. And if (he/she) has committed sins and transgressions, grant remission and forgiveness, because you love mankind.

As Orthodox Christians we pray, neither commanding God to heal, nor doubting His ability to heal, but pleading for His promised mercy upon all who are ill.

[ 04-22-2002: Message edited by: OrthoMan ]

Dear Nicky's Baba,

Actually, this reminds me of the story of St Teresa of Avila who once said she received answers to prayer to the Souls in Purgatory that she did not get from the great Saints.

That relics and oil heal etc. is God's way of thinking and not ours.

Perhaps God is telling you that while His anointing can bring relief to you physically, at least for a time, how much greater spiritual benefit your soul receives in Holy Communion!

Alex