Let me share a reflection on Mark 9:14-29, a scripture that resonates deeply with my personal experience watching my grandmother struggle with epilepsy.
When I read about the father bringing his seized son to Jesus, memories flood back of my childhood, watching my grandfather tenderly care for my grandmother during her seizures. The Gospel describes the boy falling to the ground, foaming at the mouth, and becoming rigid – these clinical descriptions leap off the page for me because I witnessed similar moments with my grandmother. I can still see my grandfather's strong yet gentle hands holding her, protecting her from harm as the seizures took control of her body.
The desperate father in the passage brings his son to Jesus' disciples, but they cannot heal him. I understand this desperation for help, having seen my own family navigate the challenges of epilepsy. When Jesus arrives and the father pleads "if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us," I hear echoes of the countless prayers that must have been whispered in our family's challenging moments.
Jesus' response – "'If you can'? Everything is possible for one who believes" – leads to what I find to be the most touching moment in the story. The father cries out, "I believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" This raw honesty about the struggle between faith and doubt resonates with my own journey. Watching my grandmother's seizures, I struggled to understand why she had to suffer, and why prayers for healing seemed to go unanswered. Yet through it all, I witnessed something very profound – my grandfather's unwavering love and dedication.
While Jesus performed a miraculous healing in the Gospel, I saw a different kind of miracle in my grandparents' home. I watched my grandfather transform into a pillar of strength whenever my grandmother needed him. He would hold her during seizures, speak softly to her, and protect her from harm with a love that never wavered despite years of challenges. His actions taught me more about unconditional love than any sermon ever could. It was most impressionable.
When the disciples later asked Jesus why they couldn't drive out the spirit, his answer about the necessity of prayer took on special meaning for me. I now understand that prayer isn't just about asking for miraculous healing – it's about finding the strength to love and care for others through their struggles. My grandfather embodied this truth. Whether through formal prayer or simply through his devoted actions, he demonstrated a spiritual strength that sustained both him and my grandmother through countless difficult moments.
Today's Gospel story, viewed through the lens of my childhood experiences, reveals deeper truths about faith, love, and healing. While the boy in the story received an immediate cure, I witnessed a different kind of healing power – the daily miracle of devoted care and unconditional love. My grandfather's example showed me that sometimes the most profound demonstrations of faith come not through miraculous interventions, but through the steady, faithful presence of one person caring for another through life's most challenging moments.
The healing in Mark's Gospel remains a powerful testimony to divine intervention, but my family's story reminds me that God's love often manifests in the ordinary heroism of caregivers who, like my grandfather, demonstrate extraordinary love in the face of ongoing medical challenges. Both stories, the biblical and the personal speak to the life-changing power of faith expressed through love and unwavering care for others.
©2025 James Dacey Jr.
