THE FAITH OF AN AMAZING FATHER Today’s Gospel reading is taken from Mark 9:14-29. The text presents us with four main characters: 1. An unnamed sick boy: This boy has symptoms of epilepsy: seizure, foaming at mouth, violent rolling on the ground, grinding of teeth, and rigidity of body. In addition, he has an evil spirit, and he can’t talk. You can just imagine the unfortunate situation of this boy. Today (24-2-2025), we want to remember people in this boy’s condition, some of whom are our relations and friends. We want to tell them that we love them. We implore God to heal these people. 2. The father of this sick boy: • First, he attends to the needs of his sick son by presenting him to the Apostles for healing. He doesn’t abandon his son, but he goes all out for the healing of his son. I ask: Are you a parent? Do you have a child who is sick? What have you done to your sick child? Have you abandoned your sick child? Today, this man shows us the way. He invites all parents to be responsible. He adds that don’t abandon your sick child. • There is the humility of this unnamed man. He told Jesus: “If you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Note that he did not force Jesus to act, but he allowed Him the space to work. I ask: What is your attitude to Jesus in prayer? Is it His will or your will? This is our prayer: Lord, your will be done. Teach us to humble ourselves so your Divine presence will be felt. • The faith of this man healed his sick son. This faith is expressed in these words: “I do have faith. Help the little faith I have.” I ask again: What is the level of your faith? Do you know that your faith can heal? Today, implore the Lord to increase your faith. 3. The Apostles: Strangely, the Apostles couldn’t heal this unnamed boy. You can simply tell of the frustration on the face of the father of this boy. You may ask, why couldn’t the Apostles heal this boy? Why couldn’t they do what their Master (Jesus ) did with ease? Did God not listen to their prayer? Did the Apostles deliberately refuse to heal the boy? The point is that the Apostles couldn’t heal the boy. This is my suggestion: It shows the limitations of the Apostles. It isn’t everything that human beings can do. In fact, some things are for God alone. 4. Jesus Christ: He healed the boy. He made him well. He restored him to good health. Today, we present our cases to this same Jesus. We humbly implore the Lord to do something for us. It is well.....🌿