Homily, Gallantly
The Feast of St. Luke the Physician (2026)
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Plant City, FL
The Rev. Derek M Larson, TSSF
Today’s Lectionary Readings:
Sirach 38:1-4,6-10,12-14
Psalm 147 or 147:1-7
2 Timothy 4:5-13
Luke 4:14-21
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
“This is another day, O Lord.
I know not what it will bring forth,
but make me ready, O Lord
for whatever it may be.
If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely.
If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.
If I am to lie low, let me do it patiently.
And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.
Make these words more than words,
and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.”
These are the words of a prayer in our prayer book to be said by a person who is ill in the morning. And I’m always struck by that line, “If I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.”
Gallantly. Heroically. Courageously. Bravely. Chivalrously. Gallantly.
What an incredible thing to pray. How can doing nothing be something gallant?
But the prayer uniquely speaks to the heart of something we don’t talk much about when we’re thinking of illness.
And that is that besides the pain and discomfort itself, we hate being sick because it often feels like a loss of purpose. Or more accurately, a decline in productivity, which we modern Americans often equate with purpose.
When we are ill, we find it incredibly frustrating that we can’t seem to get done all the things we would like. Whether it be a cold or the flu that disrupts our focus, fogs our brain, and tires us out in the middle of the day. Or be it something more serious like cancer or an injury that makes simple things like walking feel almost impossible. Illness just seems to get in the way of things, doesn’t it? Sitting still can be one of the most difficult parts of being sick.
Because often we’d rather be busy. We’d rather be doing things that feel like they matter. That affirm in us our purpose. But how can was have purpose when we are stuck in bed? How can doing nothing, be done gallantly?
Today is the Feast Day of St. Luke, who was not only the author of the third gospel in the canon of Scripture, but a physician. And thus St. Luke is the patron saint of all medical care professionals and of those who are sick. And so this day, we pay special attention to those themes, and in particular with the blessing of the Oil of the Sick and the anointing of the sick for healing, what we sometimes call, the Sacrament of Holy Unction.
In our gospel reading for today, Jesus stands in the synagogue and reads a passage of Scripture from the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” Jesus saw this as an important part of his own ministry, and thus at the conclusion of the reading he says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
And that word “anointing” is important. For it can mean different things. When we say someone is anointed, we often mean they are gifted or skilled. When we say someone has been anointed, we often mean they have been given a particular purpose or vocation. When we say that someone is the anointed, we often mean they are chosen by God. All are true in this passage.
But the word anointing, literally means to smear with oil and it comes from this long tradition in the Bible of setting apart people and things for something holy.
Moses poured oil on the altar seven times to consecrate it as holy, and upon the head of Aaron his brother to be priest (Leviticus 8).
When Samuel picked out David from a line of Jesse’s sons to be the next King of Israel, he pours oil over his head, and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward (1 Samuel 16).
In the Christian tradition, whenever someone is baptized, we then place oil on their heads and speak the words, “You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism, and marked as Christ’s own for ever.”
And often when we gather for the ordination of a deacon or a priest, the bishop anoints them with oil as other clergy place their hands upon them just after the invocation of the Holy Spirit.
For centuries oil has played an important part in consecrating something and setting it apart for God. Indeed, the word Messiah, or Christ, means anointed one, one who has been smeared with oil.
So if we use oil to anoint altars, kings, prophets, and priests to be set apart for God, what does it mean that we also anoint those who are sick? How are we, when we are ill, set apart for something holy?
See, the sacrament of holy unction—anointing with oil those are sick—is a prayer for healing. A prayer that suffering will cease, illness will turn to health, and brokenness restored to wholeness.
But the core action of unction is not actually first and foremost healing. The core action of unction is the invocation of the Holy Spirit. That God’s presence might be known. Both in the future of healing, restoration, and resurrection AND in the present experience of pain and suffering. The conviction of unction is that illness does not inhibit the presence of God. And if the presence of God rests on us when we are ill, so does God’s calling.
In other words, even in illness we have purpose. For God has set us apart for something holy.
That is not to say that illness and suffering are good. That is not say that God desires us to be ill. That is not to say that suffering is our purpose. But simply that suffering does not deprive us of purpose. And that when we suffer, we do so not passively, impatiently awaiting for the time when we can be useful again. But instead attentively, knowing that the Holy Spirit is with us and calling us to something in our present circumstances.
So then what might be our purpose in illness? I don’t know. It depends on where God is leading you, how God wants to use you, and what God is trying to teach you. Perhaps your purpose is to give your suffering to God. Perhaps it is to learn empathy. Perhaps it is to foster humility. Maybe your purpose is to practice sabbath in your body by giving it the rest it needs. Maybe it is to allow another person the opportunity to serve. Maybe it is to practice gentle encouragement of those who care for you. Maybe it is to spend time in prayer. It could be many things. I remember our beloved Dr. John Santosuosso when he was in the hospital and in rehab made it his mission to learn the stories of those who cared for him, that he might grow, and they might be affirmed. It could be that.
Illness is never our purpose, but there is always purpose in our illness because the presence of the Holy Spirit empowers us in sickness and in health and in all circumstances of life. The Holy Spirit sets us apart for something holy.
If you are ill today, be it in body, mind or spirit, I invite you to come forward for holy unction—the anointing with holy oil. After we receive communion together I will be standing just off to the side to offer prayers of healing and anointing. And as I do so, I invite you to consider, where is the presence of the Holy Spirit in your experience of illness? And to what is God calling you in your experience of illness? And how might that calling, be done bravely, quietly, patiently, and gallantly?
Let’s return to that prayer. Will you say it with me? It’s on page 461 in the prayer book.
“This is another day, O Lord.
I know not what it will bring forth,
but make me ready, O Lord
for whatever it may be.
If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely.
If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.
If I am to lie low, let me do it patiently.
And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.
Make these words more than words,
and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.”
Questions for Reflection
- How do I perceive my purpose when I am faced with illness or limitations in my abilities?
- What feelings arise in me when I am unable to engage in my usual activities, and how might I reframe this experience in light of my faith?
- In what ways can my experience of suffering lead me to greater empathy and understanding towards others who are also struggling?
- How can I invite the Holy Spirit into my moments of pain or inactivity, and what might God be calling me to during these times?
- What practices can I implement to honor my body and spirit, particularly when I need to rest or pause in my daily life?
