Shortly after He was transfigured on Mount Tabor, Jesus was
met by a father who had a sick child. Nobody had been able to cure his son, not
even the Disciples. The man said to Jesus, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he
is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and
often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not
cure him.” (Matthew 17.15-16) When Jesus challenged the man to believe, the man
said, “I believe, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9.24) Neither the faith of the
Disciples NOR the father was strong enough to cure the boy of his epilepsy. So
what did Jesus say?
“If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this
mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move....However, this kind
does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17.21) Jesus knew their
faith needed to become stronger, so He reminds them of the power of prayer and
fasting. Their faith could not grow so long as they remained focused on the
physical world.
This story isn’t about physical healing, but about faith.
Jesus was not promising us that we will always be healed when we pray and fast.
He was telling us that when we pray and fast, our faith grows stronger; and
when our faith grows stronger, we are able to better understand the illness
that affects us. Without faith, we will remain spiritually paralyzed. With
faith, “nothing will be impossible.” (Matthew 17.20) What does Jesus mean when
says, “nothing” will be impossible? With a stronger faith, we will realize that
life isn’t about physical health and comforts, but about uniting ourselves to
God through Holy Communion and His Church.
Are you praying and fasting? Your faith will grow strong
when you do.
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