THE WORD
Is 65, 17-21 / Jn 4,43-54
After the two days, he left there for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left . While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “the fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. (Now) this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.
IN OTHER WORDS
“Father, I do not know if I will still live till tomorrow. I want to confess and ask for an anointing of the sick.” These were some of the most bothering words I had ever heard from a faithful. After
Sunday mass this man approached me at the sacristy, explaining that he would have surgery on the following day as a result of a complex health situation. After that, I never heard of him anymore until one of our lay ministers phoned me to say that the surgery never took place in the end because, upon further examination before it, the doctors found him totally healed. I said to myself: “Thanks be to God!”
When we experience frustrating moments in life that are beyond our control we cling to God for mercy and healing. Both the guy who asked for confession and anointing, and the court official in the gospel reading, experienced tremendous frustrations. But despite their conditions they never lost faith in God. Jesus, in the gospel reading, said to the court offi cial, “Your son will live.” I believe Jesus also told the guy who approached me in the silence of his heart, “You will be healed.”
Jesus is our Lord who cannot refuse our sincere prayers. He always gives us new life, new hope and new journey to heaven. Jesus once said: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Lk. 11:9)” He gives us a hint. Believe in Him. Let us firmly believe in Jesus, the Son of the living God. He doesn’t only heal us but also gives us life, a life prepared in heaven. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (Jn.3:16)”
- Fr. Garry Bacol, SVD | Argentina
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
