Catholic Spiritual Living Journal

How often do we limit the power of God’s love in our lives?

Matthew 17:14-20

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, for he 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 him 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."

Introductory Prayer:

Loving Father, I humbly approach you this morning with confidence in your mercy and love. Help me to live this day in your presence and stay united to your Son, my Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Petition:

Lord, I believe. Increase my faith.

1. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.

Although the disciples had been able to drive out demons in the past, they were not able to drive out this one. It’s safe to say that they were intimidated by the apparent power of this particular demon. They were focusing on their limited personal experiences and on the episodes they had in the past with weaker demons. They didn’t think they could exorcize such an apparently awful demon. Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith. How often do we limit the power of God’s love in our lives? How often do we take our eyes off of Christ and focus on the obstacles in our path or our personal weaknesses? Do you find yourself arguing for your weaknesses? Argue for your weaknesses, and they’ll be yours.

2. The Faith That Can Move Mountains.

What is Jesus talking about? How can my faith move mountains? This is certainly a puzzling statement from our Lord. Christ is trying to remind us about the nature of faith. Faith is a gift from God. It is one of the theological virtues that we receive at baptism. We have to thank God for this gift and learn to appreciate it by living it. Along these lines, you could say that faith is like a muscle. We have to exercise our faith so that it grows and becomes sturdy and resilient. Ultimately, by believing all that God has revealed to us and committing ourselves to God, we should seek to know, love, and fulfill God’s will in our lives. He has a great plan for all of us; and if that plan includes moving mountains and converting thousands of souls, then we can be sure that we will be given all that we need to succeed.

3. With God All Things Are Possible.

We have all been amazed in our lives. We have all seen things that we never expected to witness. Perhaps, you have even seen or personally experienced a miracle. Now, think of a particular unfortunate or frustrating circumstance in your life that you don’t believe will ever change. Perhaps, you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction. Perhaps, your marriage is on the brink of divorce. Nothing has seemed to work. You don’t think anybody can help you. Have you tried prayer? Have you persevered in your prayer, or have you put up roadblocks to the grace of God? Have you said, “I can’t do it” or “He or she won’t change”? Don’t discount the grace of God. Keep praying and don’t stop believing.

Dialogue with Christ:

Jesus, I believe that with you I can do all things. Increase my faith. Help my unbelief. Don’t let me give in to discouragement or self-pity. Grant me the grace of a living, active, and luminous faith that will help me persevere until I die, amid the difficulties and struggles that the faithful fulfillment of God’s plan will demand of me.

Resolution:

I will persevere in my prayer for an intention that is particularly grueling.