Jesus brings life.

Part of our life is our loved ones, whom we love and who love us. We cannot imagine life without them. Our love for them also shows that if their health or even life is threatened, we do everything possible to help them so they can continue living. We do it for them, but also for ourselves. A typical example of this fact is the royal official from today’s Gospel. To restore the health of his Son and save him from impending death, he turns to Jesus, who has just arrived in Cana of Galilee, with an urgent request for help. Jesus was already known as a miracle worker (he turned water into wine there), so this father confidently asked him to go with him to Capernaum to his sick Son.

Jesus’ reaction is strange – he resents this man’s request for a miracle. Well, not only him. He says in the plural: “Unless you see signs and wonders, you do not believe.” So he wants us to believe in him as a savior from all our dangers – even though we are experiencing the loss of our dear ones, that we too are subjecting to sickness and death.

The father from the Gospel receives Jesus’ assurance that his Son lives and is to “go.” The road from Cana to Capernaum measures approximately thirty kilometers and could be covered in about six hours. According to the Gospel, when the father set out on his journey around one in the afternoon, he could come home in the evening of the same day. However, he returned the next day. He probably spent the night somewhere and probably stayed behind to take care of some things related to his duties. So he wasn’t in that much of a hurry. From his calm behavior, we can conclude that he relied on the word of Jesus and believed that his Son was alive and that he was doing well. His servants also confirmed this when they informed him that the boy got better just when Jesus said, “Your son lives!”

Of course, we must do everything for our dear ones to help them protect their health and life. On the other hand, we are not in a position to protect them from every danger, from disease and death. Our love for them should not lead us to anxious fear, which cannot protect them from threats but somewhat complicates our mutual relations. We must realize that our lives and theirs are in God’s hands. He is the friend of life but also its giver and sustainer. We need to turn to him with confidence. The fact that we believe in him must be confirmed by the fact that we “go,” do what God tells us and fulfill the tasks that he has entrusted us.

When we pass through the night of death, we, too, will have a joyful meeting with those we loved and for whom we prayed to Christ. Fellowship with them will be part of the fullness of our eternal happiness. The path to this goal leads through trust in Jesus Christ as the source and guarantee of life. However, we must show him this trust by “walking” toward our eternal home. Along the way, we must pay attention to the care of those we love and everything God expects of us.

Practical instruction: Sincere prayer for sick or otherwise endangered loved ones. However, worries and fear about them must not paralyze us in doing good. I focus on my duties with the confidence that the health and lives of those I care about are in Christ’s hands.

Prayer: Almighty God, by your sublime sacraments, you renew the world; we ask you to let the Church be strengthened by these signs of your presence and never be left without your paternal help through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who is God, lives and reigns with you in unity with the Holy Spirit forever and ever.