When should faith enter?

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 32: FEBRUARY 1, 2022]

When should faith enter?

Mark 5:21-43. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

Today’s gospel, if utterly misinterpreted, could be dangerous, because the apparent message is the importance of faith towards physical (and spiritual healing).

The trend from the January gospels continue: Jesus heals, but discourages the witnesses to tell others what happened. As always, the amazed audience cannot help but spread to others what they saw – a miracle of healing.

By misinterpretation, I mean that believers may think that faith alone (without reason nor other virtues) is sufficient to achieve healing. I disagree with this, because this is in contrast to what Jesus told the demon who tempted Him: do not test God’s powers by daring Him to do miracles.

An angle that makes more sense to me is that the women in the gospel that needed healing have exercised all viable options for them (accessing doctors, self-treating). Unfortunately, since healing conferred by humans can never be perfect, their conditions remained the same. However, this does not mean that doctors do not have a place in a world of faith! At the same time, prudent and humble doctors know the limitations of the treatments they can provide; they do not play god.

Perhaps the time when miracles happen is the moment when all our controllables have been reasonably exhausted. My take is that a superficial faith (blind, not acted or thought upon) is shallow; but a deep and enriched faith is harmonious with other virtues and commitment to insightfully reflect and act responsibly.

A faith that surrenders to God is not a faith that stops us from our journey. Rather, an authentic faith that finds peace in God inspires insight and action, to grow as whole persons, no matter the suffering, no matter the challenge.