A reading from the gospel according to Matthew 17:14-20

14 A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him,
15 and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water.
16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
17 Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me.”
18 Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured.
19 Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?”
20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Reflection: Driving out Demons

Good News: The impossible becomes possible for one who has faith.

Ask any athlete how he or she is able to earn a medal and he or she will utter a series of words such as rigorous trainings, healthy diet, self-confidence and determination. On rare occasions, he or she will say someone up there was helpful. What all these words mean is faith in his ability and faith in God’s help.

We need to have faith to accomplish something and when we have strong faith, the impossible becomes possible.

In the gospel above, Jesus points to the disciples’ lack of faith as the reason for their inability to cast out demons. The story does not mention the faith of the boy’s father yet we can assume that he has faith or he would not dare bring his lunatic son to Jesus for healing. The message is that faith is a sine qua non for a miracle to happen. Without faith, no mighty deeds can be performed.

Long ago, Jesus called the existing generation then as faithless and perverse and there were people afflicted with demons. Today, our generation has not improved a lot or maybe it has become even worse. Many people are still perverse and many more are afflicted with demons of different kinds. So how do we cast out the prevailing demons of perversity, faithlessness, greed, corruption, etc.?

Jesus does not require of His followers great faith. He is asking for faith as small as a mustard seed. Yet small faith can be powerful as to move mountains. With faith, we can cast out the demons in our self and in the society. Yet we cannot do it alone. With God’s help, we shall overcome. In asking God to help us, we express our faith.

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In the Gospel reading above, a father approaches Jesus with desperation in his eyes. His son suffers greatly, tormented by seizures. The man had already turned to the disciples for help, but they could not heal the boy. Can you imagine that father’s frustration? To hope, to ask for help, and then still be left in the same pain. It’s a scene that mirrors many of our own experiences, where prayers seem to go unanswered, efforts fall short, and healing feels out of reach.

Jesus’ response is blunt, yet profoundly illuminating. He calls out the lack of faith, not with harsh condemnation, but with a firm desire to open their eyes to a deeper truth: faith is powerful, so powerful, in fact, that even a mustard seed-sized portion of it can move mountains. But what does that mean? Does faith really function like magic? Is it a force that can be turned on or off at will?

The kind of faith Jesus speaks of is not about quantity or intensity, but about trust in God’s power, trust in His timing, and trust in His goodness. This faith acknowledges our own limitations but rests confidently in God’s limitless grace. It is not loud or showy, but it is persistent, humble, and rooted in relationship.

This message challenges us. Sometimes, we confuse faith with positive thinking or emotional certainty. We think that if we don’t “feel” strong, we must not have enough faith. But in truth, real faith often shows up when we’re weak. It is the quiet decision to pray again even when we’re discouraged. It is showing up for life’s responsibilities even when we’d rather hide. It is the father kneeling before Jesus, saying in other gospel accounts, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”

And Jesus does help. He heals the boy. He restores the family. But He also teaches the disciples, and us, that spiritual authority and breakthroughs often come only through deeper dependence on God. Some obstacles in life are not just physical or emotional. They are spiritual. And they require more than casual prayer. They call for committed, faith-filled prayer and fasting, a posture of surrender, not striving.

In our modern world filled with distractions, self-help slogans, and quick fixes, this is a hard teaching. But it’s also a hopeful one. Because the power to overcome isn’t found in ourselves, it’s found in a deep connection with God. That means our weakness is not a disqualifier. It’s an invitation to lean in, to go deeper, to trust again.

So what is your “mountain” today? Is it a broken relationship, a crippling addiction, an impossible dream, or a heart that has grown cold? Whatever it is, Jesus says it can be moved, not because you are powerful, but because He is. And even the smallest seed of genuine faith, placed in the hands of a mighty God, can cause impossible things to shift.

Let us not measure our faith by our feelings but by our willingness to trust. Let us not be discouraged when we stumble but press on in prayer. Let us grow, not just in activity but in intimacy with God.

Because when we believe even just a little, mountains move.