146- And by His Stripes we are Healed

As Raymond crept to the prayer’s room calmly, he found his father looking at the resurrection icon with tears running down his cheeks. An hour later, Raymond and his father talked to each other.

“Father, I see you contemplating on the resurrection icon, why?”

“I’m contemplating on the stripes of my Lord. Though He had risen from the dead, stripes still exist on His hands, feet and sides.”

“Will the stripes of our bodies remain after resurrection?”

“No, as they’re deformities and we won’t have deformed bodies in heaven.”

“So why do the stripes of our Savior still exist?”

“Because these are the stripes of His love for mankind, He was wounded for our transgressions. As Isaiah says,

“By His stripes we are healed.”

“Can you explain to me this verse?”

“The following story may reveal to you its meaning.

A fire caught a small house. On the upper floor there was a ten-year old boy. The widowed mother was in the garden. She screamed and ran to the staircase to rescue her only son. However, she suffocated and died. As Mark saw what had happened and perceived that the child was in danger, he climbed the back sewage pipes in spite of being hot because of the fire. He entered from the window, carried the child and returned the say way.

The fire engine came and put down the fire.

All people grieved over the widowed mother who suffocated when she wanted to rescue her only son. All sights were directed towards the poor child who lost his parents and was rescued from actual death. All people asked who would be guardian for this poor child. The council of the village was held and the richest man said, “I’m ready to bring him up.”

One of the child’s relatives replied, “Thank you for your feeling but I’m his kinsman. He may easily get used to my children and be a brother to them.”

The pastor of the church said, “I’m a father and he’s my child, I’ll be happy to have him with us.”

One of the laymen of the church said, “we’re all fathers to him As for me, I’ll be blessed to have him as one of my family members.”

Suddenly a man came with his hands in his pockets; he went to the child and showed him his palms. The child soon embraced the man and insisted on going out with him.

The attendants were astonished and asked the man about what had happened. He showed them his hands which were burnt when he climbed the hot pipes to rescue the child.

They all cried, “He’s the only one who deserves to adopt the child. The burns remained to declare his sacrificing practical love.”

The father commented on the story, “Likewise, Christ came to our home and bore the fire of our sins. He was nailed to the cross to save us. He was pierced to protect us. His stripes are the secret behind our eternal healing.”

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: بحُبره شفينا!

O who had risen from the dead, grant me

To meditate on Your stripes of love.

Carry me to Your pierced side.

May I see Your fiery love instead of my sins.

I see You giving me life O resurrection.

Who can possess me but You!

The Affection of a Chicken

Short Stories (Stories for the Youth) Books by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

Escape