Believe, have faith, heal
In today’s gospel, Jesus performed a miracle, but there was no physical interaction, nothing at all. He simply says that the child will be healed, and the child is healed. The royal official believes, he has faith, and healing happens. The words of Jesus pack as mighty a punch as any physical miracle that He performs.
I find that same occurrence many times in our work at Catholic Charities. Clients often come expecting major life-changing healing. While we don’t necessarily speak healing into existence, our smile, calming voice, and encouragement often meet the deepest needs of those we are privileged to serve — even when we can’t meet every physical need.
Jesus’ example with the royal official should provide us encouragement in our actions. He helps the royal official by healing his child, even if no one around Him can see it. We need to have faith in our clients, just like the official has in Jesus and his son’s healing. He believes, he has faith, and healing happens.
Showing our faith in God and belief in our clients as God’s children will help give them confidence to be who God intended them to be. The faith and belief we have in them are often all that our clients need to make progress in their current situation.
Brian Smith is the Director of Disaster Services for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.