All wisdom comes from the LORD and with him it remains forever, and is before all time.
The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain,
the days of eternity: who can number these?
In today's gospel, we find the Lord descending with his disciples from the Mount of Transfiguration. He has experienced an exaltation beyond human words or comprehension; now he returns to our everyday distress and incomprehension.
A father, battling his son's madness and fearful of losing the child forever, desperately challenges the Lord, "...if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
The man's plea feels rude and seems to startle Jesus. The Lord has abruptly returned from his rapture to find his bumbling disciples wrestling with a powerful demon. Their plight would be comical if it were not so tragic. The Keystone Cops might have had better luck.
With a word of power, Jesus's command slices through their fog of ignorance and heals the child. And then, with his composure returned, he speaks kindly to his disciples, "This kind can only come out through prayer.”
The day would come when the disciples were ready to cast out demons, but it had not come yet. Saint Luke records happier memories of Satan falling from the sky as they healed the crippled, blind, and possessed. The Acts of the Apostles records their conquering campaign from Jerusalem to Rome. By that time they knew they were dealing with mysteries beyond their ken. And they had learned to both to trust and to wield the authority they'd been given from above.
We are still addressing mountains and commanding them to be uprooted and tossed into the sea. We cannot see the end of the struggle against abortion and the culture of death but we expect God's victory. On that day, the diabolical powers of this world...
...will see and will be put to shame,
in spite of all their strength;
They will put their hands over their mouths;
their ears will become deaf.
They will lick the dust like a snake,
like crawling things on the ground;
They will come quaking from their strongholds;
they will tremble in fear of you, the LORD, our God. (Micah 7:16-17)
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.