(Mt.17:14-27)
In today’s Gospel, we find Jesus curing a boy of epilepsy and using the occasion to teach about the power and nature of faith.
A man approached Jesus and begged him to cure his son of the terrible disease of falling into fire and water. He added further that he would not have troubled Jesus had it been possible for the disciples to cure the boy of his sickness. Jesus knew that his disciples lacked the faith to do the miracle as they had doubts in their minds whether they could do this cure in spite of their closeness to Jesus.
They did not grasp the implications of being the disciples of Jesus. They should have believed that they could bring about this cure because of their closeness to Jesus. As they failed to cure the boy of the disease, Jesus himself cured the boy and then used the occasion to make the disciples aware of the power of their faith. If the tiny mustard seed could sprout into a large bush, so too their faith in Jesus could be mightier and they would be able to do miracles in their lives, however weak and fragile they were. It is not their social place in the human society that is important but their closeness to Jesus is what matters.
Faith involves absolute trust in the providence of God. It involves total commitment to the person of Jesus Christ. As the late Holy Father John Paul has said often, faith is not just a summary of doctrines but the acceptance of person of Jesus Christ in our lives. We find such solid examples of faith in the lives of ancient Patriarchs and prophets like Abraham and Moses. They believed in the power of God and they knew they could do miracles through their attachment to God.
It is Jesus who does miracles through our lives. We know that He will never forsake us and that He will do what we ask of Him. The child has no doubts about his father’s power. The child thinks that his father can do everything for him. The trust is absolute. There is no wavering or doubt in the child’s mind about his father’s power and strength. It is that type of total trust that Jesus wants from his disciples. Often, caught in the daily struggles of life, we lose sight of the presence of the providence of God in our lives. We doubt and vacillate and thus we miss the joy and peace that come from the presence of God in our lives.
What is important is not to lose sight of this faith in Jesus. Whatever may be the challenges, hardships or disasters we face in life, we should know deep down in our hearts that our Lord will never abandon us and He will always walk with us in our pilgrimage on earth.
It is this adamant and constantly persevering trust in the power and providence of God that Jesus demands from us in our lives. However hard and harsh the realities of life we face in our life, we know that Jesus will be waiting with His outstretched arms to receive us in His loving arms at the end of the road.
Thomas Merton has expressed this idea very beautifully in his book “Thoughts in Solitude.”: “If I trust You, everything else will become, for me strength, health and support. Everything will bring me to heaven. If I do not trust You, everything will be my destruction.”
May the words of Jesus that we heard today on the power of faith increase our trust and confidence in the power of His presence in our lives and give us the confidence to face the challenges and difficulties of life with peace and joy in our hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment