Recently I was recounting a conversation that I overheard many years ago. It involved a Protestant inquirer and an Orthodox layperson. The Protestant was asking why anyone would need to enlist the help of the Virgin Mary, when one could simply pray directly to Christ himself? Itâs a good question, isnât it? Well, itâs true, of course. We can and are even invited to pray directly to Christ, to the Father, to the Holy Spirit, and I do that. But how powerful are my prayers? How effective are my prayers? The prayer of the pharisee in the parable was weak and worthless, because he was full of pride, judgment, and vainglory. The prayer of the father with the demon-possessed son was weak, because his faith was weak, he was full of doubts, as he himself admitted. The prayers of the seven sons of the priest Sceva were ineffectual, because they used the Name of Jesus, but were not truly His disciples. As a result, they were beaten by demons and were forced to run naked and screaming out of the house (Acts 19: 11-16). So⊠how strong is my faith? How many doubts do I have? How much pride fills my soul, my thoughts? How effectual is my prayer? At some point it begins to dawn on us that our prayers are probably quite weak. And thatâs exactly why we are compelled to ask others to pray with us and for us. We all do this, and the Lord, and the Apostles recommend it. And who do we especially ask when we feel the need for more power, more âoctaneâ in our prayer? The bishop, the priest, monks, nuns, holy people, pious people, etc. Right? When I was a kid we went everywhere on our bikes; school, the store, friendsâ houses, everywhere. We loved our bikes, but we knew that they (or rather, we) were limited as to how far we could go, or how fast we could get there. Thatâs why we were so jealous of the older kids in the neighborhood, the ones with cars, and especially those who had the hot rods. They could go as far as they wanted, and they could get there fast. Sometimes we would be riding our bikes when one of those hot rods would blast byâŠif only we could attach our bikes to that beauty and fly to where we wanted to go! And that is precisely why we enlist the help and the prayers of the Mother of God. We call out to her because she is most-holy, most-pure, and most-blessed, and most glorious human being to ever walk the planet. After he death she was taken up bodily to heaven. She is the Queen who stands at the right of her Son, wearing garments shining with the light of deification. (See Psalm 44:9 LXX). Her prayers are strong, swift, and sure. After all, by her intercession she was able to change the mind of her divine Son so that He changed the water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. She endured terrible sorrow at the Cross so that the âthe thoughts of many hearts might be revealedâ (Luke 2:35). What does that mean? It means so that she might present our feeble prayers, the weak groanings of our hearts, before her Son and our God. Thatâs why we attach ourselves to the Theotokos. Thatâs why we beg her for help. Thatâs why we plead for her intercessions. Thatâs why we sing supplicatory canons to her. Thatâs why we fast in preparation for the commemoration of her holy falling-asleep, and her glorious assumption into heaven.
Now, letâs change direction a bit and look for a moment at todayâs Gospel. Here we see a man who is also praying. After all, praying and asking are often the same thing. He is a father who is asking Jesus to heal his lunatick son. Not âepilepticâ as some translations have it. âLunatick,â âmoonstruck,â âÏΔληΜÎčΏζΔÏαÎč.â This father presumes to tell Jesus what the boy needs and what He, Jesus, needs to do â cure the boy of moonbeam sickness! Isnât this just the way the world behaves? The father is utterly blind to the fact that he is speaking to the Lord Who created all things, and that his son is grievously tormented by a demon! The world seeks to disregard the presence of God. It also poo-poos the notion of devils. Instead of blaming dark and hostile forces, this father blames nature, Godâs creation! This is a clear warning to us. Never presume anything in prayer! Donât explain to God what the situation is. He knows what it really is, not what our twisted minds perceive it to be. Next, never tell God what to do. He knows what we need, and He knows what others need. Always pray: âNot my will, but Thy will be done!â
Now, on to my last theme for this morning. Today is the Pre-feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Tonight and tomorrow, on top of an earthly mountain named Tabor, the Lord Jesus will reveal to His disciples and to us a heavenly mystery. While living among them He had spoken of the kingdom and of His second coming in glory, but to banish from their hearts any possible doubt concerning the kingdom, and to confirm their faith in what lay in the future by its prefiguration in the present, He gave them on Mount Tabor a wonderful vision of His glory, a foreshadowing of the kingdom of heaven. It was as if He said to them: âAs time goes by you may be in danger of losing your faith. To save you from this, I tell you now that some standing here listening to me will not taste death until they have seen the Son of Man coming in the glory of his Father.â Moreover, in order to assure us that Christ could command such power when he wished, the evangelist continues: âSix days later, Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, and led them up a high mountain where they were alone. There, before their eyes, he was transfigured. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Then the disciples saw Moses and Elijah appear, and they were talking to Jesus.â
These are the divine wonders we will soon celebrate; this is the saving revelation given us on the mountain. Â Jesus goes before us to show us the way, both up the mountain and into heaven, and it is for us now to follow Him with all speed, yearning for the heavenly vision that will give us a share in His radiance, that will renew our spiritual nature and transform us into His own likeness, making us forever sharers in His divine nature and raising us to heights undreamed of. Let us run with confidence and joy to enter into that cloud like Moses and Elijah, or like James and John. Let us be caught up like Peter to behold the divine vision and to be transfigured by that glorious transfiguration. Let us retire from the world, stand aloof from the earth, rise above the body, detach ourselves from created things and turn to the creator, to whom Peter in ecstasy exclaimed: âLord, it is good for us to be here.â
It is indeed good for us to be here, Peter. It is good to be with Jesus and to remain here forever. What greater happiness or higher honor could we have than to be with God, to be made like Him and to live in His light? Therefore, since each of us possesses God in his heart and is being transformed into His divine likeness, we also should cry out with joy: It is good for us to be here â here where all things shine with divine radiance, where there is joy and gladness and exultation; where there is nothing in our hearts but peace, serenity and stillness; where God is seen. For here, in our hearts, Christ takes up his abode together with the Father, saying as he enters: âToday salvation has come to this house.â With Christ, our hearts receive all the wealth of His eternal blessings, and there, where they are stored up for us in Him, we see reflected as in a mirror, both the first fruits and the whole of the world to come. Amen.
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