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!
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