Mt 17:14-20 The Myth

Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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By KIM ELENEZ
 

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water."

 

Somewhere I read that we only use 10% of our brain and from that I begin to imagine the feats we would accomplish if we could increase that percentage even just a little. What if we could use 15%? Or 20% Or imagine using 100% of our brain?! Cancer -- cured. The war in the Middle East -- no longer. And I would finely figure out how to fold a fitted sheet properly. Oh how happy we would be! But the reality is far from here.

According to many neuroscientists this so-called “Brain Myth” is simply not true. We use all of our brain, just at different times. Even still the brain and its mechanics are mysterious. The complexity that occurs in the synaptic gaps throughout our body is incredible. The fact that we understand even a fraction of what we do is, in fact, a testament to the power of the brain.

Yet, the brain is an organ. We can touch it. See it. Probe it. We can test it in all sorts of laboratory environments that give off physical and chemical proof of its power.

The soul is different. We can feel it, but we cannot touch it with our hands. We can shine a light on it, but we cannot see it with our eyes. We can poke at it, yet we cannot probe into to the full depths of it to know what fills its interior. Think how different the world would view it if it where an organ made of flesh?

Even still the soul that resides in each of us has size, too, doesn’t it? Are you using all of it or only 10%? Are you growing it or allowing it to atrophy? I’m no expert here but I would guess you use all of it, just at different times like you do with your brain. When you are sad, part of your soul aches. When you are happy, your soul rejoices. Yet, ye of little faith, unlike your brain the Lord gave it to you to use 100% of it, 100% of the time.

Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” 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.”

Dig deep into your soul. Use it all the time – even at work to that awful person who steals your Lean Cuisine out of the freezer. Even at school to the person who has the locker next to you and simply will not move out of the way. Even at home when your spouse is exhausted and so are you.

If we learn to use even a fraction more of our soul our faith will increase exponentially. Our soul is the being God hand chose and knew before the beginning of time. When your soul speaks it’s strengthens your longing for the Lord. Your faith will multiply! And then nothing will be impossible for you.

This meditation was written by Kim Elenez, wife, mother and media executive in Raleigh, NC. Kim converted to Catholicism in 2012.