Reflection for March 15 Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent: John 4:43-54

Gospel: John 4:43-54

43 After the two days he departed to Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.  

And at Caper'na-um there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." 49 The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live."  

The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live"; and he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

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Reflection:

How profound is your faith in Jesus?  

To have faith is to believe in something that you don’t see yet. The official in the gospel who begged Jesus to heal his sick son has this kind of faith. He wanted Jesus to go and personally heal his son who at that time was near death.  

But Jesus did not give in to his request, Jesus simply told the official, “Go; your son will live.” So he went home without Jesus but with faith in the words of Jesus in his heart. And when he arrived home his son was already recovering.  

To believe in something that we don’t see yet is very difficult to do most especially for those who have feeble faith. But for those who have faith, they will believe no matter the odds against them. If the official in our gospel did not believe in Jesus his son would surely not been healed. But he believed!  

We all have our own petitions before the Lord. He asks us nothing but to have faith for He will take care of everything. What are your petitions before Jesus? Simply believe, have faith and work for it also for He will never fail you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas