Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

"Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe."

 

Gospel Reading: John 4:43-54

 

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in  Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast.  Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe." The royal official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "You may go; your son will live." The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, "The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon." The father realized that was just at that time Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live," and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

 

Why is it that we must see a sign to believe.  “Lord I’ll believe for ever if you just …”  Yet we turn around and doubt.  There are signs in front of us every day that demonstrate the poer and great mystery of God.  There are miracles that before our very eyes and yet we still want more.  A man suffers, dies and was buried; on the third day he rose from the dead – yet we ask to stick our fingers in his wounds.  God understands our skepticism and shows us signs to help us believe.  In today’s Gospel reading, an official whose son was ill, begged Jesus to come and heal his son. The gospel reading tells us that “The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.” At that moment his son was healed. It was the faith and belief that this man possessed that saved his son from the clutches of death. Because of our doubt, Jesus performed miracles to show us the power and glory of the Kingdom of Heaven. The fact that a government official, a person of power, had to ask Jesus for help shows that our earthly power is no match for the heavenly power of God. Part of his faith and belief came from his humbling himself before Jesus. He had to admit that God was more powerful than he. We too must exhibit this same humbleness when we approach God. When we ask God for help, we must be willing to go to our knees. We must be willing to say I cannot do it alone God, I need your help; that I am powerless and you are most powerful. It seems so simple, yet it is one of the most difficult things we have to do. We have to admit that we are weak. Today’s gospel message tells us that our faith is born out of our humbleness to God and not our pride.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, I am weak and you are strong.

I humble myself before you.

Give me the strength to build my faith as I walk with you.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon