This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting

 

 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  

 

Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood."  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  

 

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  

 

- Mark 9:14–29 

 

Yesterday we read that following the confession of Peter and Christ's revelation of His Passion, after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

 

  And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"   Jesus' return to the disciples is a return to the nine left behind, as He went up to the high mountain of the Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John (see yesterday's reading above).  Notice how Christ's immediate response is to step in for His disciples, asking the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"

 

 Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  Jesus' remark here, "O faithless generation" is a repeated theme from recent readings (see, for example, Wednesday's reading and Christ's experience in Bethsaida).  The scribes and Pharisees have demanded from Christ a sign, a spectacular proof, so that they might believe.  But this is a crisis of faith and spiritual perception.  Therefore Jesus here emphasizes faith, both among the crowds and personally to this man who wants healing for his demon-possessed child.  We note that the text tells us that Jesus commanded, "Bring him to Me" indicating that He does not approach the disputing group, but has stood apart, effectively separating the man and his ailing child from unbelieving or scoffing crowds.  The man's prayer, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" is an effective one.

 

 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  My study Bible notes that while the nine disciples also evidently lacked faith to achieve this healing, Jesus had rebuked the man for placing the blame on the disciples when it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.  But we see here, in effect, that Jesus defended His disciples in front of the multitudes, but later rebuked them privately.  (In St. Matthew's Gospel, He tells them straightforwardly in private that they could not cast it out "because of your unbelief" (see Matthew 17:19-21).  This teaches us ourselves that we should first correct people in private (see Matthew 18:15-17).   We remember that this rebuke is directed at the nine disciples who could not cast out the demon, as the "pillars" of faith -- Peter, James, and John (Galatians 2:9) -- had been on the mountain with Christ at the Transfiguration (see above).  My study Bible further comments that this kind refers to all powers of darkness, not only those which cause a particular illness.  It says that the banishment of demons requires faith, prayer, and fasting, as there is no healing and no victory in spiritual warfare without all three.  Starting with the Didache (the earliest teaching document of the Church), our spiritual forbears and elders have taught that both the person in need of healing and the person performing the healing must believe, pray, and fast.  

 

 The taking of this child by demonic possession or affliction is an indication of a spiritual war which is always going on behind the scenes, in which our world, and human beings in particular,  form the battleground.  Notice the effects of this spirit upon the child:  he is mute, and the father tells Jesus, "it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid."  This sounds to modern ears like seizures of some sort, a medical problem that would commonly be approached today with medical treatments.  But this mute spirit is more than a medical problem.  The boy is repeatedly harmed; the man tells Jesus regarding this spirit's effects upon the boy that "often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him."  Moreover, Jesus names further effects of this spirit by calling it "deaf and dumb," meaning the boy can neither hear nor speak.  So beyond these vividly described seizures, there is more going on here.  The affliction of this boy can be characterized by a kind of evil that works as a severe punishment, a great suffering and, even in particular, the suppression of his freedom and autonomy.  He's thrown into fire and water repeatedly and often, he can neither express himself nor even hear others who might teach him something; neither can he hear music or stories, or learn songs, for example, nor, one presumes, play games with other children.  More than one Church Father comments on this passage of the envy of such spirits who've been deprived of their own lofty places before Christ due to their refusal to serve, and becoming more depraved through the effects of spiritual failure and the disintegration that results.  Thus the cruelty of affliction is driven by an ultimately corrupt desire to inflict one's misery upon others.  While we cannot know for certain what defines and drives the spiritual world (except through those saints who've understood such things), we can perhaps clearly verify that for human beings we can observe such mental and spiritual deterioration as the effects of going down a wrong road, moving further and further away from Christ and from spiritual redemption without the saving effects of repentance.  Such a process is well-known and observed in human experience; what may start with one incident or selfish impulse may grow into something hideous and often continued so long as it is hidden from common understanding.  So, when Jesus mentions the weapons of faith, prayer, and fasting, we should not look at these things as if they are simply instruments for the performance of formal exorcisms or for special occasions or extreme spiritual problems, for they are not.  They are the things named as common practices for each of us, and in particular during the season of Lent as we prepare for Easter and the celebration of Resurrection.  Whether we are aware of it or not, we are always caught in the middle of this battle, for we are the battleground.  If we choose to believe that this is not so, then we are rejecting the testimony of the Gospels, the saints, the whole of spiritual tradition and of Scripture, and even of Christ Himself (see, for example, Luke 22:31; 1 Peter 5:8).  We need not know nor prove in some spectacular way the influence of such spiritual problems; we can see them around us and in effect if we simply look closely.  Whatever way we choose to look at this problem in today's Gospel reading, let us consider what a long road of unbroken decisions to follow a bad impulse may lead to, and how the power of faith, prayer, and fasting can help us not only to turn that around for ourselves, but also to help us cope with such an influence in our environment and in our world.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind cane come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

- Mark 9:14-29

Yesterday we read that following Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ or Messiah, after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Jesus (together with James, John, and Peter) has just come down from the Mount of the Transfiguration, to find a great crowd surrounding a dispute between his disciples and scribes.  The people run to Christ.  But His chief concern is with defending His disciples, and His first question is to the scribes.

Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  Yet again, the Gospels give us a teaching about faith in the image of this father, but also to another extent, in the disciples themselves.   My study bible comments that sickness in Scripture is frequently connected to demonic activity.  The father of the child shows humility, but lacks faith.  In fact, Jesus' statement ("O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?") applies to all those present.  Clearly the exorcism of the boy is the basis of the dispute, a kind of holy contest between the scribes and the disciples, who could not cast out the demon.   Note that when Jesus commands the father, "Bring him to Me," it is yet another time when those with the need for healing are taken aside by Jesus, and apart from the crowds, in order to shore up and strengthen their faith.

And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind cane come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."   In effect, in private, Jesus instructs the disciples on their own lack of faith, and points them and us to practice designed to strengthen and shore up faith.  The text also gives us a hint that sometimes we will face personal spiritual challenges which are much more pernicious and difficult than others, requiring of us spiritual discipline to more greatly help us as well.

The father in today's reading recognizes his lack of faith, and tearfully cries to Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  But this man has an advantage.  His own humility allows him to understand that although he believes, he still is lacking in faith -- he has belief, and he has unbelief.  It is a great advantage to know oneself to this extent, for to recognize what we lack is the first step in solving a problem and becoming truly "well."  It is like any ailment; a cure requires first an honest diagnosis and understanding of the problem.  So, in this sense, the father teaches us all a good example.  If we don't come to recognize our own problems and "lack" of anything, how can we come to Christ and pray for what we need?  How do we stand a chance of becoming well, healed?  Humility, then, becomes the great stepping stone to what we need.  In and of itself, our own need for humility is a tremendous challenge.  Note how the dispute between the scribes and the disciples doesn't really do much at all for helping to find faith.  We are much more likely to simply be put on the defensive through such disputing, and less likely to find the humility to come to Christ for help.  That happens in private, when the disciples are in the house with Him.  So it is with us.  In prayer, we stand a chance of coming to terms with our own flaws, and requesting help for them.  Before the world, especially when challenged to produce something as "proof" of our own merit or cause, we find ourselves challenged in ways that aren't very helpful to anyone.  What we need is the capacity to pray, even in the midst of our disputes -- just as Jesus recognizes that He needs to take the father and son apart from the crowd to truly help.  Moreover, the disciples themselves need "more faith" to deal with this particular "kind" of demonic activity.  They need to use prayer and fasting in their ministry in order to heal more effectively.  When we engage in our own prayer and fasting practices, so we should take note that what we are doing is shoring up our faith -- especially for more difficult challenges.  During an experience of caring for a dying parent, and being called upon to make constant life-and-death decisions for care, I personally found that taking time out for regular prayer was the best medicine for my own well-being, and in particular for finding the strength to make those decisions with reserves of energy and clarity that I didn't have otherwise.  In fact, I found that prayer practices -- such as using traditional Prayers of the Hours, or other traditional daily prayer practices as well as occasional prayers of the Church -- was the one thing that truly restored my reserves of energy to cope with the tasks at hand, and to encourage my own resourcefulness and positive attitude to meet the medical challenges that came constantly.  The Gospels -- and particularly our recent readings from Mark -- confirm the importance of taking active steps to shore up faith.  Christ's healings cannot happen without effort for faith, neither do any other of his "great works."  Our environment is important as well, as we can see from Christ's attempts to separate those in need of healing from those who ridicule and scoff.  It is always necessary to protect faith, to take the active steps to protect our own healing, whatever form that may take or need that presents itself in our lives.  This first starts with the necessary humility to face our needs, our hurts, and the things we lack, but most especially our dependency on Christ.  Gratitude must play a role in this sort of recognition.  The Gospels seem to emphasize this "active" role of faith, rather than a passive feeling.  There is always something we can do about it.   In John's Gospel, the people ask, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answers them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (John 6:28-29).  We note also how Jesus seeks to protect and defend His disciples.  So it is with each of us, that we are essential and precious as the faithful.  Let us do what is necessary to protect what is good in our lives, and to continue to root and grow what He gives us, what He offers.

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered them and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.   So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

- Mark 9:14-29

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What a discussing with them?"  Some commentators point out here Jesus' loyalty to His disciples.  He quizzes the scribes first, not the disciples.  He will speak to them when they are alone, not in front of their interlocutors and the crowd.

Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  We enter into a dispute, and find the center and theme of the dispute.   At the center of the dispute between the scribes and the disciples is this difficult problem:  a spirit that cannot be cast out by Jesus' disciples.  My study bible points out that sickness in Scripture is often connected to demonic activity. 

He answered them and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him. Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.   So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"   Jesus' rebuke ("O faithless generation") is to this crowd, and the father whose son needs healing, but in some way indirectly it will also apply to the disciples.  But here it serves to draw out what is truly happening with this man.  In some sense, this father is the one who's praying for his son to be healed.  He draws out the man by telling him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  This unleashes the powerful cry:  "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief'!"  Even before Christ Himself, this is the best this father can do, but it is enough.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  Since we're told that the people came running together, we can assume that Jesus has remained away from the crowd, and thus had the boy brought to Him apart from this "unbelieving" multitude.  The healing happens, as do others (see the healing of Jairus' daughter in this reading, for example), apart from the crowd in which the disputing between the scribes and Jesus' disciples was going on.  We may assume, also, that Jesus' inner circle of James, John, and Peter are with Him, having come with Him from the high mountain upon which they witnessed the Transfiguration. 

And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."   In Matthew's reporting of this event (see Matthew 17:19-21), Jesus also declares to the disciples that they had lacked faith.  But in this context, prayer and fasting become ways to shore up faith, and to express commitments to faith.  According to my study bible, Jesus' phrase this kind "refers to powers of darkness, not simply those that cause a particular illness.  The banishment of demons requires faith, prayer, and fasting, for there is no healing and no victory in spiritual warfare without all three.  Beginning with the Didache [the earliest known teaching document which was linked to the disciples],  the Fathers have taught that both the person in need of healing and the person performing the healing must believe, pray, and fast."

Mark's gospel returns over and over again to issues of faith, and the power of faith.  We've seen what comes from "a little" faith in the disciples, even though Jesus' has already questioned their capacity for spiritual sight and hearing (see How is it you did not understand?).  In today's reading, we come up against a tougher struggle.  What happens when we're really dealing with "powers of darkness" -- things that really work against faith in Christ, and the good things of God in the world?  This is an important question, and maybe an essential one for our time.  Many people might suggest that the world is, on the whole, making a great deal of progress, pointing to advances in science, education, technology, and all kinds of ways in which innovation in any field enhances human efforts at making life more livable.  But along with every enhancement, we also build the possibility that each new "advance" in this sense can also be used for the things that don't enhance life.  Forms of brutality and killing, things that cause suffering and death, also become "more efficient" and more powerful.  Gruesome crimes and acts of terrible cruelty are also given to us via the internet, televised around the world -- even deliberately these days -- to cause fear and dread.  Bullying, scamming, catfishing, and all number of problematic human behaviors can be magnified through technology, becoming not only more effective, but also affecting greater and greater numbers of people which weren't previously accessible on such a grand scale.   With the ability to stay masked or at least removed from face to face contact, even remotely from an event, acts of terrible selfishness can multiply.  These examples don't begin to touch on the possibilities that arise from modern machinery and transportation for spectacular accidents.  So, in the face of whatever deliberate or accidental cruelties one endures, things that really seem to indicate a terrible wrong, or things being very awry indeed, one must consider Jesus' words about faith, and prayer, and fasting.  Prayer and fasting become tools of commitment, of honing one's faith, of being in a place to really use what is available to us to find that place with Christ no matter what we are experiencing, even when we can't understand why everything seems to go wrong when we feel we're doing whatever is right.  This is something essential to understand about our lives of faith:  that it's through all things that our faith is something we work at, we practice what is available to us.  And maybe most particularly when things strangely seem to go wrong is when we are most in need of the tools of faith, whatever they may be that are available to us (and there are so many, including reading the Scripture and sharing with others who are also committed to faith).  Let's remember that our practices may be essential to our well-being, especially at times of disheartening setbacks or inexplicable obstacles.  These are the things that "help our unbelief!"  It seems to me important that we don't confuse every setback with a failure of faith; rather it is faith that can help to restore us to the confidence of the pathway through difficulties, with God's help, and Christ's love -- and to the blessings beyond.  It may help to remember the way St. Augustine's comments on this passage have been summarized:  we pray that we may believe and believe that we might pray.