Do You Have Faith?
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Mark 6:1-6 - Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“He was amazed at their lack of faith.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
We read in the Gospel that Jesus “was not able to perform any mighty deed there.” This might cause us some confusion, because we know God can do anything. Jesus certainly has the power in Himself to perform mighty deeds wherever He wants, but often He requires another ingredient to be present along with His power before He performs His wonders. That other ingredient is our faith.
The reason that Jesus couldn’t (didn’t) perform many miracles in His hometown was because the people lacked faith in Him. The same is true today. We might miss out on great miracles if we lack the necessary faith in Christ. People sometimes get mad that God doesn’t help them out, when the fault might be all their own. (Of course, God won’t always work wonders even if we have faith—but He always does what is best for our souls.) The decision and the power belong to God. Our part is to have faith. Are we praying and working to grow our faith?
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above.(Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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