Homily for Monday of the 4th Week of Lent

In our Gospel passage, we learned about a court official who approached Jesus for help to cure his seriously ill son. Many people had already approached Jesus for help in the villages he visited. Initially, Jesus seemed to refuse the official's request, but the official persisted and said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus granted his request, but not in the way the man wanted. He simply said, "Your son will live." The man believed Jesus' words and returned home. On the way, he discovered that his prayer had been answered.

When we pray to the LORD for help, we may feel that our prayers are unanswered. We may not receive the answer we were hoping for, but we must persevere in prayer, like the royal official in the Gospel. We must trust in the LORD's promises and journey with them in our hearts. Like the royal official, we will discover that the LORD will answer our prayers, even if not in the way we expected.