Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Sometimes the Gospels give us permission to allow our imagination to fill in the blanks. We believe that the evangelists were inspired to capture the core elements of faith. We find the established oral tradition in the early Church, but that also included typical human behavior. We find it in the story of the father asking Jesus to cure his son who suffered from what was thought to be evil forces. After Jesus did this, his disciples approached him privately and asked Him how He did it. They had tried and failed.
What had been going on behind the scenes? Were the disciples beginning to feel that after “watching the master” they were now becoming bold enough to attempt to reach out like Jesus did. Judging from later conversations about who was the greatest, could there have been some competition emerging? Who carried the most weight and would venture to step forward and command the power of evil to release this child?
What would cause Jesus to react so strongly and with such frustration with their “how did you do that” question? Could it be that they missed the intended lesson that everything Jesus said and did to demonstrate a living faith relationship with His Father? It was not a matter of technique, so often considered essential for human improvement. Entering the mind and heart of Jesus and doing the will of His Father continues to be the one and only way to live our faith. Lesson No. 1.
Reflection by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections