No One Left Behind (Homily)

God does not leave anyone behind and neither should we. On the Sunday of the Paralytic, we hear of Christ going into the midst of those who could not enter the pool of Bethesda by the Sheep Gate where an angel (presumably Archangel Raphael) stirred the water to heal people.

This is a reminder that all of us are broken in one way or another, whether it is physically, emotionally, intellectually, relationally, or spiritually. More importantly, it is a reminder that God loves us no matter what personal deficits we have. In fact, God is constantly inviting us to overcome the fact that we so often feel as though we are not lovable, or even knowable in the eyes of God.

And that is partly why Christ created the Church. It is the place where we go to commune with Him, to find healing, to walk the path of encountering God and lovingly helping all those we encounter on this earth.

The beautiful icon above was commissioned by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Holy Cross Hellenic College for its watershed conference titled “Gathered as One Body.” This conference represents a landmark moment in Orthodox Christian life in America—reaffirming that all are essential members of the Body of Christ and that accessibility is a core expression of the Church’s identity and mission.