Homily

"O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?" Jesus is frustrated. Frustrated! Why is He frustrated? Jesus' disciples were arguing with the scribes, and it had something to do with the fact that they could not cast the demon out of the boy. There had already been many arguments and accusations from the scribes and Pharisees, and now here is another one. It must have been extremely frustrating for Jesus so many, many times because He came to teach and tell the truth about His heavenly Father and yet there were so many, so many who absolutely did not want to hear it. They always wanted just one more sign, one more proof, one more explanation, one more miracle so they could believe that He spoke the truth. And yet each time a sign is given they still continue to refuse to believe Him. It had to be very frustrating for Jesus.

It's possible that sometimes we also get frustrated. I was thinking about a time when I was driving back home on Centennial from Mohawk, behind a woman who never came close to driving at 35 mph. We were nearing Hamlin School where there are big signs that say, "School Zone, 20 mph when lights are flashing." When we came to the sign, even though the lights were not flashing, she put on her brakes and we drove that long, long, long block about 15 mph. Even though the school sign board said, in big letters, "Teacher Grading Day - No School Today," and even though there was not a child in sight, we still drove 15 mph or even slower and I realized I had not packed a lunch for this trip. Needless to say, I felt a bit frustrated. But it made me think how many times a day do I get frustrated. It's hard to say. Frustration seems to be such a natural part of life that it often is even difficult to recognize and remember. The big ones — sure, but there are also the medium frustrations and the small ones too, and I bet you might get frustrated sometimes as well: with the kids, your spouse, the government, your physical problems, something you read or some video report you saw.

How many times a day do you experience frustration? I made an error when paying my credit card bill last month and I underpaid my last bill by forty cents. That triggered an interest payment of $5.45. That is frustrating.

Jesus didn’t have a credit card. He was frustrated by the refusal of people to accept His Good News. Our frustrations are usually not in that category. Why do we get frustrated? I think it's because we want this world to be heaven, and it's not heaven. And I realize you might say, "No, I understand this isn't heaven." But please think about it. I suspect we pretty much want it to be heaven and when it's not heaven, we get frustrated. Even more than the fact that this is not heaven, is the fact that I am no angel. I could live with the truth that I am no angel if only all those other people out there lived like angels. But they don't. Neither do I. I'm frustrated. Regularly. Maybe you are too.

Frustration is not necessarily sinful, as we see with Jesus. Yet it can very often lead us into sin when we act against those whom we see making our lives to be not as happy as we want it to be, or when situations come up that make our life more difficult, or when people oppose us, or events cause us trouble, or when we do sin to escape the frustrations that we bear. It is very possible then that we become a source of frustration to others that we can even frustrate the helping grace that the Lord wants to give us. That's why in the Prayer of St. Ephraim that we pray daily during Lent we ask for the spirit of patience and humility before we ask for the gift of love. It’s hard to receive love without patience and humility working in our lives. How much better it would be if we could just stop for a moment, when we are frustrated, say “Lord, have mercy” and then move on with greater patience and humility.

Now back to the Gospel. We know that the disciples were frustrated because they could not cure the boy. But the boy's father was frustrated also. He had to watch his son suffer for many years, unable to help him. He asks Jesus' disciples to cast this demon out, but they fail him. The father won't give up. He turns to Jesus and puts his son into the Lord's hands, saying, "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Notice, notice please he doesn't say, "Help my son," he says, "Have compassion on us and help us." Jesus tells him only faith can save the boy. Now wouldn't that be frustrating? To be told that all you need is more faith? I'll bet this dad was a faithful Jew who lovingly cared for his boy all his life and now he's being told the whole reason his boy has not been healed is because he doesn't have enough faith. If you were that dad or mom, how would you react? Right! But instead, the father says, "Lord, I do believe. Help my lack of faith."

So friends let us think about the frustration that maybe we should have with our indifference, laziness, lack of desire, our stinginess, our spiritual poverty, our sinfulness, our disobedience, our compromises and everything we may do that keeps us from growing in Christ. A little frustration there might be in order. And then, if we are seeking a cure for those demons, let us also cry out to Jesus, "Lord, I do believe. But please, please, please help my lack of faith." And let us trust in the Lord.