Hebrews 6:13-20; Mark 9:16-30
We
have all fantasized about what we would say or do in certain situations, and we
probably all know that we often respond differently in real life than we do in
our imaginations. In fact, we never
really know how we will act until we actually face the test. Reality has a way
of revealing the truth in ways that surprise us.
That was surely the case for the
father of the demon-possessed boy in today’s gospel reading. Since the disciples had not been able to
deliver him, the father said to the Lord “But if you can do anything, have pity
on us and help us.” Those are the words
of someone who had learned the hard way not to get his hopes up. Perhaps that is what he had said to healers
many times in the past who had not been successful. But then Christ challenged him by saying ‘“If
you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the
father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my
unbelief!”’ That was obviously not what
he had planned to say, for the words came spontaneously from his heart in
response to Christ’s challenge. The Lord
led the father to a remarkable level of spiritual honesty and clarity. Through his painfully honest faith, the man’s
son was healed.
Today we continue to celebrate the
Feast of the Annunciation in which a young woman was challenged through the
message of the Archangel Gabriel to respond to the outrageous news that she was
to become the Theotokos, the Mother of the Son of God. Mary had obviously not expected this strange calling
and asked how such a thing could happen, as she was a virgin. When Gabriel explained that the pregnancy
would be a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, she said “Behold the handmaiden
of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” In response to this astounding and unique
challenge, her sense of identity and calling were focused, clarified, and
transformed. With her words, she
revealed to herself and to us all what it means to be fully receptive to
Christ. It is through her humble
obedience that the Lord became incarnate for our salvation.
During this season of Lent, we seek
to open the eyes of our souls to God’s challenging message to each of us. It will surely be different from what we might
fantasize about God calling us to do. It
is different from an imaginary religion that serves only the self-centered
desires to which we are all tempted in one way or another. Instead, through prayer, fasting, generosity,
and repentance, the Lord calls us to gain the spiritual clarity to see the
truth about ourselves like the father in our gospel lesson who confessed in
humility the weakness of his faith. He
calls us to crucify our passions and turn away from our sins so that we will
gain the strength to become more like the Theotokos in simple, trusting obedience.
There is really no mystery about how
to do this. We must attend Liturgy faithfully on Sundays and weekday services
whenever possible. We must keep a daily
rule of prayer and Bible reading. We
must fast and practice other forms of self-denial. We must give of our time, energy, and
resources to others who need them. We
must forgive our enemies and ask forgiveness of those we have offended. We must turn away from our sins and toward
the Lord. We must prepare honestly for
the holy mystery of Confession, and strengthened by the assurance of Christ’s
forgiveness, press on in faithfulness. Whenever we fall down, we must get back
up as we offer the Jesus Prayer from the depths of our souls.
The
Savior wants to heal each of us fully from all the ravages of sin, but we must
confess our brokenness from the depths of our hearts in order to open ourselves
to receive His mercy. He wants us to
discern and obey His calling in the midst of all the challenges and problems of
our lives in the “real world” as we know it.
Any other type of spirituality is a fantasy. But in order to do so, we must turn away from
our usual excuses in order to be fully present to Him. Otherwise,
it will be impossible even to hear His message, much less to obey it.
The more that we pursue this simple path,
the more the words of the man in today’s gospel lesson will become our own:
“Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” The
more that we pursue this simple path, the more we will be able to say with the
Theotokos “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be to me according to your
word.” The more that we pursue this simple
path, the greater spiritual clarity and strength we will have to hear and obey
God’s challenging message, not as some kind of fantasy, but in reality as the
ultimate truth of our lives. That is the
Lord’s calling to each and every one of us in this blessed season of Lent. Let us use it for our salvation.
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