In the gospel today, the desperate father of the boy possessed by an unclean spirit, pleads to Jesus, “I do believe but help my unbelief.” The most beautiful prayer uttered in the gospel: short, simple and so true. When we are in the midst of something beyond our power to change, we realize how helpless we are…totally dependent on God. We also realize, deep down, that our faith is tenuous and wavering. 

That simple prayer asking God to help his unbelief showed that man rooted in humility. Humility, the mother of all virtue, is the compass that guides us and leads us through life. Knowing who we REALLY are, a mixture of the good and not so good, is the foundation of wisdom, a gift of the Holy Spirit. When we walk with clay feet, our feet planted firmly on mother earth with each step, our prayer is so beautifully simple and oh so true. “I do believe but help my unbelief,” is the kind of prayer that transforms the human heart, so that we can  “act justly and walk humbly with the Lord.”

Peace. Fr. Frank