Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (9: 14-29) in which Jesus says, “Everything is possible for one who believes” and the father who is seeking healing for his son says, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Fr Paul says this vivid account of the healing of the epileptic boy is perhaps the most dramatically-told of all Jesus’ wonderful healings. Anyone who has seen an epileptic fit will tell you that it is as if an alien power has taken over the person who is having the fit. It is not surprising that, in the extremely limited state of medical knowledge in first-century Palestine that epilepsy was regarded as an attack by an evil spirit. In modern terms, I think we can all appreciate the effects of a confrontation with a powerful personality and admit that we cannot set limits, or even imagine, what would happen if we came face to face with the divine personality of Jesus. The struggling faith of the father of the boy in this Gospel is also a comfort when we have times of doubt. As he declares, he believes and yet he hardly believes, and that is why he cries out and asks Jesus to help the little bit of faith he has. Fr Paul notes today’s Gospel Lesson – Everything is possible for someone who has faith…even a small amount of faith.
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