Today's Gospel

A Gospel Way to Pray

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where each day we're listening for a word or a phrase or an idea that the Holy Spirit uses to catch our attention. Today's reading comes from the Gospel of John, 4:43-54. After the two days, Jesus departed to Galilee, for he himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they, too, had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum, there was an official whose son was ill. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. And Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe." Official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." And Jesus said to him, "Go, your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. And as he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. So we asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, "Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him." The Father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live, and he himself believed and all his household." This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

What jumps out at you today? Is there a word or a phrase or an idea? The word that jumped out at me was begged. The official, his son is sick. He's heard about Jesus. He's heard that Jesus is in the region. He's gone looking for Jesus. And it's obviously a couple of days' walk because when he gets home and asks, "When did my son start getting better?" They say, "Well, it was yesterday." So he's gone off in search for Jesus. Why? Well, he believes that Jesus can help his son. He's heard about what Jesus has done. And he comes to Jesus and he begs, and there's massive humility and begging, right? Massive humility and begging. And when's the last time you begged God? Because it's a prayer, right? Everything that anyone says to Jesus in the gospels is a prayer, and how they pray is a way of praying. And so, the official has come to Jesus and begged him. That's how he's praying. He's begging Jesus to heal his son.

What are you going to beg Jesus for today? Think about that. What are you going to beg Jesus for today? And not once, but throughout the day, in those moments, in those gaps between activities. Let's identify what we're going to beg from Jesus today and do it consistently throughout the day. Have a great day. And remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.