Jesus sought out [the man he cured]  and asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "I do believe, Lord," and bowed down to worship him.

"Looking back at the beginning of this and how life was, just you and me and love and all of our friends, living life like an ocean. Now the current’s slowly pulling me down. It’s getting harder to breathe; it won’t be too long and I’ll be going under. Can you save me from this? It’s not my time, I’m not going. There’s a fear in me. This could be the end of me and everything I know. Oh I won’t go. All this time I’ve just been too blind to understand what should matter to me. My friend, this life we live is not what we have, it’s what we believe." 

What should matter in life? The group 3 Doors Down sings the thoughts of a man in a love relationship in their song "It's Not My Time": "I've been too blind to understand what should matter to me." It is an admission of guilt on the man's part in the relationship, but applied to life, it becomes a question of what is of real importance in life--what should matter. Then the group leaves the thought of a love relationship, and becomes philosophical: "This life we live is not what we have, it's what we believe."

Throughout his life Jesus spoke in terms of "what we believe." His words and actions often dealt with what kind of belief people had. In John's Gospel in the interesting story of the man born blind, he asks the man directly, "Do you believe?" When the man answered "yes," his world changed for the better. 

Belief in God does that--it changes our world for the better. The song does not speak directly of belief in God, but accepting God is one of the beliefs that can guide a life. And if it does, such a life can become meaningful, and make us understand what should matter to us, namely, love and peace and forgiveness and in general, what Jesus preached when he walked on our earth.

In terms of the song, life is good and worthwhile, and the man in the relationship asks his friend to save him from the negatives of life. In the video of the song, there is a man who realizes that he can save the life of a child, and he sets out to do it. But, as the video shows, "saving" is not easy. The group sings, "There’s a fear in me." Life is and always will remain a challenge with the problems we have and the things that happen to us. But they sing, "I won’t go down." Life is always good. Our belief can bring us through the negatives, no matter what those negatives may be.

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son constantly called us to be people of faith, people who believed in you. He knew that if we did, it would help our lives and the lives of the world. Continue to give us the grace to believe in you. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America