Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick..." (St. Matthew 9:12).

The Church is a Hospital

Orthodox Christians understand the Holy Church as a spiritual hospital and a place where the believer's spiritual and physical health is restored by the grace of God. The Orthodox Christian seeks to find the necessary spiritual treatment, cure, and healing of all his infirmities.

Saint Gregory the Theologian was born near Nazianzus, a town in Greater Cappadocia. His parents, Gregory and Nonna, were of noble ancestry and respected by all; however, the elder Gregory, being the child of a pagan father and a Jewish mother, was not a Christian in his younger years. He belonged to the sect of the Hypsistarii, which combined heathen and Judaic error. The blessed Nonna was the daughter of Christians and was herself an Orthodox Christian from childhood. She was reared in piety and perfectly instructed in the fear of God, which is the beginning of all wisdom. Divine Providence allowed her to be wed to an infidel (unbeliever), so that "the unbelieving husband" might be "sanctified by the believing wife" (1 Corinthians Ch. 7), as the holy Apostle says. Nonna constantly exhorted her husband to accept the True faith, and what is more, fervently prayed for him. However, her husband had a special dream in which he saw himself chanting the psalms of David. He awoke rejoicing and told Nonna everything. She understood that God was calling her husband to His Holy Church, and began with even greater fervor to teach him about the Christian faith and urge him to the path of salvation. The blessed Nonna took her husband to Bishop Leontius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, who baptized him. After his Baptism, Gregory led a God-pleasing life, as befits a true Christian. He also excelled in piety and good works that he later became Bishop of Nazianzus.

mong beginners, discernment is a real self-knowledge; among those midway along the road to perfection, it is a spiritual capacity to distinguish unfailingly between what is truly good and what in nature is opposed to the good; among the perfect, it is a knowledge resulting from Divine illumination, which with its lamp can light up what is dark in others. To put the matter generally, discernment is and is recognized to be--a solid understanding of the will of God in all times, in all places, in all things; and it is found only among those who are pure in heart, in body, and in speech.

...He Who by death destroyed Death and brought to naught him who had the power of death, that is, thee, O Satan. I adjure thee by God, Who showed forth the Tree of Life, Who set in order the Cherubim and the fiery sword turned to guard it. Be rebuked and depart; for I adjure thee by Him Who walked on the surface of the sea as upon dry land and rebuked the tempest of the winds; Whose look drieth up the abyss and at Whose threat the mountains melt away.

To understand the Orthodox Christian view and practice of exorcism, one must know the Orthodox presuppositions of evil and its doctrine of Satan. The Patristic evidence points to the fact that the cause of evil in the world is the devil. The devil was created by God as an Angel, who was free, and as a free agent chose to oppose the plan of God. That is, the devil is a fallen angel. Satan is not evil by nature but by will and action. In Satan there is no truth whatsoever; he is absolute falsehood and deception.

Saint Maximos, our holy Father, a Constantinopolitan, was born in 580 A.D. to a prosperous and pious Orthodox family of noble lineage. His baptismal name was Moschos. From an early age, Maximos displayed good conduct and a pure disposition. He was provided with an education in philosophy, rhetoric, and grammar. Possessed of a sharp mind and diligent character, he learned his lessons quickly. In short, he was prepared for a career at the Imperial Court.