Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 17, 14-20
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.”
Jesus said in reply,
“O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you?
Bring the boy 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.”
The power of prayer
1. An epileptic son. Imagine a desperate father. He can’t control anything; his son, whom he loves most, is sick and suffering. Epilepsy can cause a person to self-injure and lose control, even to the extent of not knowing who they are. Epilepsy can even lead to death – a fit of epilepsy can be truly terrifying. This father is in pain because he doesn’t know how to help his son. Many of us struggle when we see our loved ones suffer. It hurts to watch them harm themselves or have attacks. And sadly, often the only thing you can do is be there with them, keep them company; wait and make sure they don’t hurt themselves.
2) Spiritual epilepsy. This describes people who show these signs:
A) They fall apart. Their self-esteem drops. They don’t value themselves; life seems to have crushed them. They might feel worthless, like a cockroach. They have no creative capacity. Nothing seems to cheer them up.
B) They can’t control themselves. They feel there is no stability in their lives. One day they may feel like crying and the next they want to laugh. These people live with a deep inner struggle: they don’t know what they want, so they’re always unsure. What’s more, they start many things but leave everything unfinished.
C) They can’t express themselves. They feel unable to talk or shout. Maybe this happens to you too. Many times, you can’t express what’s wrong with you. You’re not able to tell others what’s in your heart, and that eats you up inside. You often need a place to cry and scream on your own! It feels like no one even lets you cry in peace.
3) Pray. That’s where the power of your life lies: in PRAYER. Find a moment to pray. Seek a private time with God, even if all you do is sit silently before Jesus. Let Him, and only Him, heal you. Prayer is powerful and it restores you. Look for that time to pray. Prayer will heal you and set you free.
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
