GOSPEL MESSAGE
The man born blind received harsh treatment from the Pharisees for the simple fact of speaking of the great wonders of Jesus Christ. For though he was born blind, Christ had given him sight. In the ancient world, there was very little a blind person could do but beg. There wasn’t any social security or jobs that could take on someone with a said handicap. As a matter of fact, these types of illnesses were seen as a punishment, hence the reason why the disciples asked Christ whose sin caused the man to be born blind. So it should not be surprising that this man would rejoice exceedingly for the fact that he had been given sight. He no longer needs to beg or be ostracized by his community, for he has been made whole.
And yet, the moment when he began to do the excellent work which was required of him, which was spreading the Good News of what Jesus Christ had done for him, he was under attack by those who were against Jesus. This man had become the example of what Christ meant by His words in John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” The moment this man was made whole, he became a member of Christ’s Body. As such, those who hate Christ grew to hate this man and became his enemies as well.
For us Orthodox Christians, we may not constantly be attacked personally by people who have an issue with our Faith. Living in America has allowed us to worship safely, compared to those who must still worship in secret in certain countries. But for all Faithful Believers, we will always be under attack from the evil one. We are to expect to fight against those beings until the Second Coming or until our deaths. We will always be fighting against the passions and the demons who wish to move us away from God.
This battle is best visualized in the rematch fight between Rocky and Apollo Creed in Rocky 2. We will be going blow for blow with our adversary throughout our lives until the final bell rings. There will be times in which we knock down the adversary, but, for the most part, we will be the ones hitting the mat struggling to stand back up. This fight aims not to try and beat down our opponent; Christ has already done that, but instead, our job is to stand back up when we are knocked down. Our victory is when we are the ones who are left standing while our adversary is still on the floor. By the end of this fight, though bruised, bleeding, and broken, we will be able to stand before Christ and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
The Christian life is not painted as a pretty life to live, as it is seen as a daily crucifixion of ourselves. As we are drawing nearer to Holy Week, some of us may have stopped fasting or practicing our spiritual struggle for whatever reason. If that is the case, my only advice is to stand back up and lean on Christ, for our fight is not over yet. Even though Christ has won the victory over the adversary, we can only participate in that victory when we stand with Him. Therefore, it is never too late to get back into the fast and to continue to struggle against the adversary as Christ did in the desert. If this fast was too hard, seek guidance from your Spiritual Father, and he will not give such a heavy burden with regards to fasting. So again, I must state, if you have fallen due to the onslaught of the adversary, come to Christ, and He will give you the strength that you need to stand up and to continue to fight.