Monday – 4th Week of Lent
Gospel – John 4:43-54
Cure of the Royal Official’s Son

Synagogue at Capernaum
 

A royal official in today’s Gospel has traveled from his home in Capernaum to find Jesus in Cana.  He makes this journey to ask Jesus to come back to Capernaum to heal his dying son.  It is a distance of 20 miles from Cana to Capernaum, roughly a 2-day trip by foot.  Imagine all the fears and stress he must have gone through on that long trek.  All the worries about his son’s health, the anguish of leaving him and the very real fear of losing him to his illness!  Sound familiar?  Loss, separation, fear, stress, worry?  Haven’t we all been there?  The loss of a loved one after a long and painful illness!  The worry and fear over the sad state of our country and economy!  The stress over the future of our job, our career, our family!

And yet the royal official makes the trip!  What in the world would possess him to leave home, to make that long trip?  Faith!  Faith that he would find Jesus!  Faith that he could convince Jesus to come back with him to Capernaum!  Faith that Jesus could/would cure his son!  And in the end, FAITH in Jesus’ words – go, your son will live!  Imagine that return journey, filled not only with faith in Jesus but with hope for a cure and love for his son!  Imagine the joy when he returns home!

Like the royal official, our journey continues, a Lenten journey!  All we need is faith!  All we need is to believe in our Father, to believe in our miracle-worker Jesus, to hope for healing of mind and body and to believe that we travel this long and winding road in the company of our Savior!

Wisdom of God, be with me, always at work in me!

 

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