evangeli.net

A team of 200 priests comment on daily Gospel

200 priests comment on daily Gospel

Master·evangeli.net

Today's Gospel + short theological explanation

Monday 7th in Ordinary Time

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Gospel text (Mk 9,14-29): When Jesus came to the place where they had left the disciples, they saw many people around and some teachers of the Law arguing with them (…). He asked, «What are you arguing about with them?». A man answered him from the crowd, «Master, I brought my son to you for he has a dumb spirit. Whenever the spirit seizes him, it throws him down and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth and becomes stiff all over. I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not» (…).

Jesus (...) ordered the evil spirit, «Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you: Leave the boy and never enter him again». The evil spirit shook and convulsed the boy and with a terrible shriek came out (...). After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, «Why couldn't we drive out the spirit?». And He answered, «Only prayer can drive out this kind, nothing else».

In the prayer of Jesus we perceive God’s concern for humankind

EDITORIAL TEAM evangeli.net (based on texts by Benedict XVI) (Città del Vaticano, Vatican)

Today, we are again considering the prayer of Jesus linked to His miraculous healing action. Various situations are presented in the Gospels in which Jesus prays while He contemplates the beneficial and healing work of God the Father who acts through Him.

This is a form of prayer which, once again, demonstrates His unique relationship of knowledge and communion with the Father, while Jesus lets Himself be involved with deep human participation in the hardships of His friends or of the many poor and sick people to whom He seeks to give practical help. With His prayer, Jesus wants to lead us back to faith, to total trust in God and in His will. And He wanted to show that this God Who so loved man —to the point of sending His Only Begotten Son— is the God of life, the God who brings hope and can reverse humanly impossible situations.

—My trusting prayer as a believer is a living testimony of God’s presence in the world and of His concern for humankind.