Let’s beg with strong faith

WITH the pandemic still ongoing, and with some areas still having another spike of cases, we cannot help but feel as if we are already on the brink of despair. Let’s turn this situation around by begging Christ for a miracle, but begging him with a strong, operative faith.

Let’s be like those characters in the gospel who were already in helpless conditions but who managed to live their faith heroically and made it to bear on their misery. Despite the difficulties, they approached Christ, and from the bottom of their heart, they asked to be cured. And they were cured!

In all those instances, Christ always referred to their strong faith. Remember that time when Christ was pursued by two blind men (cfr Mt 9,27-31). They shouted, “Lord, have pity on us.” But Christ asked them if they have faith. “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they immediately replied. Then Christ told them, “Let it be done to you according to your faith.” And they were cured.

In all the other miraculous cures narrated in the gospel, faith played a very crucial role. The woman who was cured of her hemorrhage was also commended by Christ because of her faith. “Be of good heart, daughter, your faith has made you whole…” (Mt 9,22)

The same with the blind man, Bartimaeus, and the father of the possessed boy who in his great distress told our Lord earnestly, “I believe, but help my unbelief.” And that centurion who asked for the healing of his sick servant (cfr. Mt 8,5-17), Christ was amazed at his faith.

“Sir,” the centurion told Christ, “I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man, ‘Go,’ and he goes; to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes…” Christ was so taken by this reaction that he said, “In truth I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found faith as great as this!”

Miracles are always a matter of faith. We just have to rectify our tendency to ask for miracles accompanied by doubts instead of faith, or to associate miracles with big, extraordinary things. Unless a blind man sees again, or a lame starts to walk, or a dead rises to life again, people nowadays say there can be no miracles taking place.

It’s a question of faith. When one has faith, even if it is just little, we can actually see the marvels of God taking place all around us everyday. That one perseveres in prayer, or decides to confess his sins after a long period of sinfulness, or a husband being faithful to his wife in spite of the strong temptations, etc., these are miracles too.

It is faith that lets us enter into the spiritual and supernatural world. It brings us to share in God’s wisdom and power. Remember those stirring words of Christ: “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove from there, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you.” (Mt 17,20)

Imagine, if we express our faith in some extraordinary way given a special favor we are asking Christ regarding the pandemic we are having! If we band together in storming heaven for the miracle of banishing this pandemic, for certain Christ will take pity on us and give us what we want.

Let’s strengthen our faith, making it operative and demonstrating it with all sorts of sacrifices that we can think of, and we can be sure that Christ will give in. We need not do this in some showy way. It would be enough that in our heart of hearts, we beg Christ for this miracle!