A boy with a demon

Gospel Reading: Hab 1:12-2:4

When [Jesus and his disciples] came to the crowd a man approached, knelt down before him, and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.“ Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me.“ Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?“ He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.“

Reflection
If you have faith. To have faith is to trust in God, to believe in God’s word and power. With faith in God, we can do something extraordinary, even perform wonderful miracles. Since God can do everything, the quality of our faith will be proved by the marvels and mighty deeds done in God’s name. It is actually God who performs miracles through his faithful instruments. It is through faith that God empowers us.

To be a disciple does not mean that one already has faith. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that they have not been able to expel the demon possessing the boy because of their little faith.

Faith is nurtured by constant prayer. Prayer is opening our hearts and minds to God. It is attuning our will to God’s will. In prayer we allow God to reign in us. Thus we let God work in us and through us. Faith and prayer thus go together.

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