“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
Daily Reflections
Saturday, 12th August 2017.
Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Dt 6: 4-13;
Ps 18: 2-4, 47, 51 (R) 2;
Mt 17: 14-20.
PRAY ONE FOR ANOTHER
A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, who 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.” The word “lunatic” could mean that the man acknowledged that his son was suffering from some form of psychological and spiritual illness. Jesus did cast a demon out of him. This demonic spiritual oppression also caused serious psychological issues. This may sound similar to the prayer of many parents. Many young children and youth may “fall into fire” or “into water” in the sense of falling into trouble and sin. And many parents end up on their knees begging God for help. The
This passage shows that the father cared and did not give up on his son. It would have been easy for him to treat his son as someone who was no good and not worth his continued attention. But the man not only came to Jesus, he also knelt down before Jesus begging for “pity,” mercy and compassion. He knew there was hope for his son and that the hope resided in the mercy and compassion of Jesus.
The disciples, having healed many on their missionary journeys, wondered why they could not heal the boy plagued by a demon. "Because you have so little faith"' Jesus told them. "Even a tiny amount of real trust in God can move mountains"' he said, "nothing would be impossible for you." Such a faith, accompanied by a deep love, is what brings happiness and peace into our lives, even in the most difficult moments of her life.
Today’s passage reveals to us the simple truth that we must pray for one another. We must pray, especially, for those who are closest to us and in the greatest need. No one is beyond hope. All is possible through prayer and faith.
Reflect, upon whether there is someone in your life you have started to give up on. Perhaps you’ve tried everything and the person continues to turn away from the path toward God. In that case, you can be certain that your calling is to pray for that person. You are called to pray not just in a casual and quick way; rather, you are called to deep and faith-filled prayer for them. Know that Jesus is the answer to all things and can do all things. Surrender that person to the mercy of God. Do not give up, but retain hope that God can bring healing and transformation of life.
Prayer: Lord, please have pity on me, my family and all those in need. Bring healing, holiness and transformation of life in me, my family and my near and dear friends. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.
