Seventh Monday of Ordinary Time

“How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Directly after his Transfiguration, Jesus is confronted with three things: arguing, the failure of his disciples, and doubt. These are common even now among those who follow Jesus. We continue to argue with those who doubt Jesus. We continue to fail him in many ways just as the disciples did. We sometimes doubt him ourselves. But this is why Jesus rebukes the mute boy's father when he says, "if you can." There is no "if" for Jesus. There is or isn't. He does not live his life in half-measures. He gives everything he has without holding back. Sometimes "if" slips into our faith lives. We pray to God with "if you'll do this, I'll do that." We convince ourselves, "if God loves us, then why is this happening to us?" If should not be in our vocabulary with God because it is a word full of doubts. Instead, we should echo the boy's father and say, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"

Do we believe God can do anything? Or have we let "ifs" slip into our faith? How can we be as faithful as we should be?

O Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.

Amen.