Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
August 12, 2023
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Matthew 17:14-20
The issue in this narrative is not the cure of the afflicted boy. It’s the inability of the disciples to effect the cure.
The disciples are downcast because they couldn’t cure the child. They ask Jesus after he had cured him, ”Why couldn’t we drive out the demon?” Jesus is annoyed with them and refers to them as a faithless and perverse generation who couldn’t drive out the demon because of their little faith.
The disciples have faith that consists in understanding and assent. But that’s not enough. They need the faith that involves trust–not in their own power, but in the power of Jesus. If you have trusting faith in me–even a little, Jesus says–you can accomplish practically anything. What kind of faith do I have?
