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Gospel Reading for February 24, 2025 – Mark 9: 14-29
PRAYER
As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”
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“This kind can only come out through prayer.”
Most of the time, our need to cope with difficult situations in life pushes us to start having habits or tendencies that will destroy us – drug addiction, alcoholism, gambling, etc.. These are times when the devil slowly takes over us without our being fully aware. When we notice this happening to people around us, we have to remember that the best way to fight the devil is through PRAYER. We need to pray for the Spirit of God to drive out the evil spirit that is starting to get hold of them. Even more effective is when we ourselves who are beset with these problems, fervently pray to God to help us. When we ourselves ask God to exorcise all that is evil within us, he will always heed our PRAYER.
Let us remember that it is only the Spirit of God that has power to defeat the devil!
When we are troubled in life Lord, may we always choose to seek your help!
