Sermon for the Wednesday of Reminiscere, 2025

Beloved, Jesus does not wait for you to have sufficient faith either before He helps; in fact, He helps despite your weakness of faith. Although, at times, too numerous to count, we are seemingly faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. The faith He engendered within us, He continues to strengthen with His Word and blessed Sacraments. He will never leave nor forsake you, whom He purchased with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. He will not leave you to your own devices nor smother that faith He has instilled in you; He will never do so because His compassion never comes to an end. As He did with this father’s son, so Jesus, in the blessed waters of Holy Baptism, commanded the evil spirits to depart from you. And they did. Moreover, in that lavish washing of rebirth and renewal, Jesus takes your hand, so to speak, and lifts you up so that you arise, now, in righteousness and purity, and at the Last, in the resurrection from the dead. Believe it, Beloved, and pray for help against your own unbelief. And, like this man, you shall have it.

Readings:

• Old Testament: Numbers 16:20-35

• Epistle: James 5:13-20

• Holy Gospel: Mark 9:17-29

Sermon: