Sunday of St. John of the Ladder
Scripture: Mark 9:17-31
When we are trying to fix something or heal ourselves, we often expect things to get better as soon as we make a change. At the very least, we don’t want things to get worse before they get better. That can be frustrating.
However, as you all know, for my voice to heal, it first had to get worse. I went from being able to talk a little bit to not being able to talk at all for several weeks. Surgeries for other ailments can also be like this. For example, sometimes a surgeon has to break a bone and reset it before it can heal.
Today’s Gospel reminds us of this reality. After Jesus commanded the mute spirit to leave the boy in the story, the Bible says that he “became like a corpse, such that many said that he had died.” He had to get worse before he got better.
But what if we think about it differently? What if instead of thinking about it negatively, we think about it positively? The boy was “reset.” He wasn’t like a corpse; he was being reborn!
In many ways, Lent is like Jesus and we’re like the boy. Lent drives out the evil spirits from our lives. This happens through increased prayer, attending more services, going to confession, and taking an honest look at our lives. It may be a painful experience, but it’s also a way of hitting the reset button.
Ultimately, we know that Christ heals us through resurrection. But we also know that we aren’t resurrected immediately after we die. Rising from the dead is an end-time event. Before this rebirth, we first have to die. It has to get worse before it gets better.
Glory to God, though, we know that any temporary setback we have – whether in life or death – is only temporary compared to the eternal blessings to come.