My Beloved the benevolent                    December 2025

Grace and peace, wishing you every goodness and blessings

On Wednesday, December 10th, begins the month of Kiahk, the month of praise and glorification to our good God who was incarnate for our salvation.

Our glorious Church leads us during this month through the readings of the Kiahk Sundays and the Kiahk praises, helping us understand the depth of the divine mystery of the Incarnation and to thank our good God who has freed us from the bondage of death, sin, and corruption.

The Book of Isaiah speaks about Christ: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4–5)

Sin is the sickness of both soul and body. The Holy Bible presents sin as a sickness. The Prophet Isaiah, as he begins his prophecy speaking of the people’s deviation from the worship of God and their walking in the path of sin, says:

“Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger

the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment.” (Isaiah 1:4–6)

When they brought the paralytic to Jesus to heal his body, He said to him, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mark 2:5)

The Lord Jesus began with spiritual healing from the disease of sin before healing the body from the disease of paralysis. But when those present doubted Christ’s authority to forgive sins, He said to them, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” (Mark 2:9–11)

Physical illness, such as paralysis and other diseases, has a limited effect on a person’s life on earth, and medical advancement makes it possible to cure even difficult diseases. But the disease of sin extends its effect into a person’s life after death, and a person loses eternal life if he does not repent of his sins during his life on earth.

While a doctor can heal physical illness, only God alone can heal the sickness of sin. Truly the scribes said, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7).

Christ presented the miracle of healing the paralytic as God incarnate, who has authority to forgive sins.

In the miracle of healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda, Christ did not only heal the man who had suffered from illness for thirty-eight years, but later met him after his healing and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:14)

The Lord Christ performed many healing miracles. As the Gospel of Mark records, “Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.” (Mark 6:56)

The world, burdened with sins and troubles, needs to touch even the hem of Christ’s garment to be healed.

How can the world be touched by Christ without knowing Him?

As St. Paul asks: “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?… ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace.’” (Romans 10:14–15) Let us say with Isaiah: “Here am I! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

Let us pray that God may grant us to heal the suffering world through the true Physician of our souls and bodies.

May the Lord bless your offerings to support Santa Verena Charity programs.

Metropolitan Serapion