Gospel: Mark
9:14-29
As Jesus
came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other
disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately
on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and
greeted him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from
the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a
mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth,
grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out,
but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless
generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him
to me.” They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit
immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began
to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, “How long
has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often
thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything,
have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’
Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out,
“I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on
seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute
and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting
and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse,
which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised
him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in
private, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” He said
to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”
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Reflection:
How
strong is your faith in Jesus?
In the
gospel, a boy was possessed by an evil spirit, his father asked the disciples
for help but they were unable to drive it out. Then the father saw Jesus who
just came from the mountain. The father asked for help, he told Jesus: “I asked
your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.”
Jesus said to them in reply, “O faithless
generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Jesus was
quite exasperated with his disciples because they were not able to drive out
the evil spirit.
Jesus was
also frustrated with the Father because he told him: “If you can do anything,
have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’
Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out,
“I do believe, help my unbelief!”
Jesus was
frustrated with both the disciples and the father of the boy the reason behind
was their lack of faith! If only the disciples had faith they could have easily
drove out the evil spirit but they had weak faith.
Are we
not like the father and the disciples once in a while? We petition God to grant
us our prayers yet we easily get impatient when He doesn’t reply immediately.
And the reason for this impatience is our lack of faith.
Let us
continue to bear in mind this words of Jesus: “ Everything is possible to one
who has faith.” – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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