John 4.43-54 – Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
The king’s official, of whom today’s Gospel speaks, is a man who possesses much power. Yet life, at times, forcefully reminds us that we can occupy even the most important places in this world without being protected from the tragedies of existence. Power, prestige, social position do not protect against pain.
For this reason this man, desperate, goes to Jesus. He knows well that all his authority is useless in the face of the illness of a son who is about to die. At that moment he is no longer a powerful official: he is simply a father. And like any father who truly loves, he is willing to do anything to save his son.
But this encounter with Jesus asks this man a decisive step: rediscover faith. Faith certainly arises from the humility of asking for help, but it is achieved above all when the word of Jesus is taken seriously. In fact, Jesus does not offer him any immediate proof. He doesn’t make a spectacular gesture in front of him. He simply tells him: “Go, your son lives.” It is a word that asks for trust. And that man chooses to trust. He returns home without having seen anything, supported only by the word he received.
Here lies the heart of the story: “That man believed the word that Jesus had told him and set out on his journey.” Even before seeing the miracle, he trusts. And it is precisely this trust that opens the space for the miracle. Isn’t this also our experience? The Christian life is not the continuous search for extraordinary signs. It is, rather, the humble and trusting listening of the Gospel. It is taking the word of Christ seriously and being guided by it even when we have no immediate evidence.
The miracle often happens just as we are returning home trusting that word. Because the Gospel, when it is heard and put into practice, continues to generate profound changes in life, unexpected healings and new hopes. Try it and you’ll see it’s true.
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