As we continue on in the second week of Lent, let us remember what Lent is. It is a time of deep reflection that leads us to ponder the Passion of Christ, a time of penance, sacrifice and hopefully we shall not leave Lent the same we entered.
In the Scriptures that are offered today for reflection, I would like to focus on the Gospel of St. John, 4:43-54. Here we have a ruler coming to Jesus, begging for his son to be healed. This is an interesting passage, for Jesus responded in a way that seems He is annoyed with being asked for Him to do miracles, even though He has only done one miracle up to this point! My guess is He has been asked many times to perform miracles, which is the reason Jesus seems annoyed. As we finish the passage, Jesus granted his request and the man left with a greater faith.
The issue was not the man asking…the issue was actual belief. The people in St. John’s Gospel would not believe in Christ unless they saw miracles, and how often are we the same way! We may not ask to see a great, mind-bending miracle, but we do ask for signs, as if that would increase our faith.
Lent is a time of seeking Jesus, contemplating His work for us and in us, soley trusting Him, period. No signs/miracles, no flashes of power, nothing except His presence. As we continue our journey, let us have our faith increased like the father did in the Gospel story, but unlike him, let us not ask for miracles, let us just ask for Him to become more real to us.
