Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest

“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.”

Although his disciples fail to free the lunatic from the demon, Jesus rebukes it and sends it away. When his disciples ask him why they couldn’t drive out the demon, Jesus tells them that their lack of faith is the reason. This is a humbling moment for the disciples and also for us. After all, if the disciples of Jesus, who saw his miracles and performed cures of their own in his name, lacked faith, then how does our faith compare? However, perhaps we are more like the father in this account. The father shows more than enough faith in Jesus and because of this his son is cured. He trusts Jesus will succeed where his disciples failed. He realizes the surer source of healing comes from Jesus and so should we.

When our acts of love or mercy falter or fail, what is our response? Do we try to understand why we failed and seek God’s help in overcoming our shortcomings? Do we trust God will help us in our time of need?

O Lord, our faith sometimes falls short of where it should be. Help us to grow in faith with you.

Amen.