ربوبيّة المسيح - الأحد الرابع بعد العنصرة

Sermon of Father Semaan Abou Haidar on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, June 28, 2026 - Church of the Epiphany - Discussion The Lordship of Christ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Brothers and sisters, in a world that is obsessed with control and measures freedom by the absence of all constraints, modern man finds himself a prisoner of his own anxieties, enslaved by the vicissitudes of time and its material concerns without even realizing it. One thinks he is "master of his destiny" simply because he "does as he pleases," only to find himself floundering without a compass, drowning in worries about tomorrow and its calculations. However, the living encounter in today's Gospel turns these false scales upside down and presents us with a profound and unexpected answer to the meaning of true freedom and inner healing. In Capernaum, a Roman officer—a stranger to God's people—approaches to teach us, with sincerity and eloquence, the meaning of true faith, which is subject to "the Lordship." This man, through his military experience and the system of obedience he lived by, understood what many in the household failed to grasp. He realized that true authority and divine sovereignty resided not in boisterous presence or outward appearances, but in the power of a "commanding word" that works and creates in secret. Therefore, he asked the Lord not to trouble Himself to come to his house, but declared with confidence and humility: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed." Jesus marveled at the sound logic of this officer who had astutely grasped the mystery of Christ's Lordship. The centurion recognized himself first and foremost as subject to a higher authority, and therefore he submitted himself with certainty to the creative power of Christ's word, which commands death and sickness, and they retreat effortlessly. This is precisely what the Apostle Paul emphasizes in his letter to the Romans today, exposing the false "masks of our freedom" that lead us to orphanhood and alienation. The Apostle reminds us that no human being ever lives in a spiritual void (the phrase "I am free" is meaningless): either, on the one hand, we are enslaved to sin and desires, and the consequence of this path is humiliation and spiritual death; or on the other hand, we are free from sin and enslaved to God, and the fruit of this "slavery to God" is holiness that refines the soul, and its consequence is eternal life. But obedience to God is not the negation of human will or the obliteration of personality; rather, it is the highest expression of true freedom and a return to the Father's embrace. When we make our members instruments of righteousness and service, the burdens of worry fall from our shoulders, our priorities are aligned, and the compass of our hearts becomes clear amidst the storms of this age. And what is remarkable in the Gospel is that the sick servant is neither mentioned nor speaks, yet he received complete healing at that very moment because his master submitted to Jesus' authority. This absence of the servant teaches us that our obedience is not a personal matter. When we walk as good soldiers in obedience to the Lord's commandments, we become, in secret, channels of blessing overflowing to those around us, even those we don't know. Our obedience heals others as well. Let us, therefore, live, brothers and sisters, with the awareness of this divine authority that governs our lives. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us surrender the reins of our entire existence to the Lord, humbly and confidently crying out each day with the centurion: "Say only the word." Only then will divine peace dwell in our hearts, the light of His presence shine upon our faces, and our whole lives become protected, fruitful, and sanctified under the Lordship of Christ. Amen.