Fifth Sunday

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman / Good Samaritan

On the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the lectionary of the Syriac Church has two different Gospel passages. The West Syriac tradition has the "Parable of the Good Samaritan" as the reading for the day while the East Syriac tradition has the "Healing of the crippled woman" as the Gospel Reading.

Readings:

Before Holy Qurbana

• Genesis 9: 1 -7(God's covenant with Noah)
• Jeremiah 51: 1-9 (Destruction of Babylon)
• Isaiah 50: 1 - 5
• Bar Sirach 51: 13 - 30(Wisdom of Son of Sirach: Eccleciasticus)

Holy Qurbana

• I Peter 3: 8-16
• Romans 12: 1-15(Living Sacrifices)
• St. Luke 13: 10-17 (Crippled woman healed on Sabbath)

Qurbana hyms for the day

After the Gospel (hymn about the Good Samaritan)

St John Chrysostom (Mor Ivanios) teaches us the hidden meaning in the Parable. He tells us that the Good Samaritan is our Lord Jesus Christ himself and the man who was attacked by robbers is Adam or every human being.

Mankind went down “from the heavenly state to the state of the devil’s deception, and fell among thieves, that is, the devil and the hostile powers.” We are mortally wounded by sin. The Good Samaritan, Christ our Savior, comes down from Heaven to earth to heal us wounded men.

He finds us and pours in oil. His oil, administered in Baptism, Chrismation, and Unction, heals through the mystical work of the Life-giving Spirit Who extends the healing of Christ, pours the Life of God into our bodies, souls, and spirits, and thereby heals our delusion, darkness and alienation.

Next, the “Good Samaritan” pours in wine, offering us His pure blood for our battered souls. As Mor Ivanios Chrysostom says, “by mixing the Holy Spirit with His blood, He brought life to man.” Then Christ our God sets the man upon His own animal, or as John expands the thought: “Taking flesh upon His own divine shoulders, He lifted it toward the Father in Heaven.”

Then the Lord “...brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Lk. 10:34). Our Lord brings us poor travelers and pilgrims in this life, “into the wonderful and spacious inn, this universal Church.” You and I do not “join” the Church; it is God’s gift to us for our deliverance. When considering the arrangement with the innkeeper for the man’s continuing care, St. John connects the innkeeper through the Apostle “Paul to the high priests and teachers and ministers of each church.” And St. John understood the Blessed Apostle to be saying to the many ministers of the Church: “Take care of the people of the Gentiles whom I have given to you in the Church. Since men are sick, wounded by sin, heal them, putting on them a stone plaster, that is, the Prophetic sayings and the Gospel teachings, making them whole through the admonitions and exhortations of the Old and New Testaments.”

Be patient for it takes time to rid you of the poisons, infection, corruption, and wounds that left you half-dead and helpless.

Kasolikki (by Mor Ephrem)