24 February 2020 Catholic Mass Daily Bible Reading.

USCCB. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 9,14-29.

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.
Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him.
He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?"
Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.
Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so."
He said to them in reply, "O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me."
They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth.
Then he questioned his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" He replied, "Since childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
Jesus said to him, " 'If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith."
Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"
Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, "Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!"
Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, "He is dead!"
But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, "Why could we not drive it out?"
He said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer."

Hermas (2nd century)
The Shepherd (trans. E.J. Goodspeed)

"I do believe, help my unbelief!"
Cast off doubt from yourself and do not hesitate at all to ask God for anything, or say in yourself, “How can I ask anything from the Lord and receive it, when I have sinned so much against him?” Do not reason thus, but turn to the Lord with your whole heart, and ask of him undoubtingly, and you will come to know his great mercy, that he will not desert you but will fulfill the request of your soul. For God is not like us, who hold grudges, but he is forgiving, and feels pity for what he has made. So cleanse your heart of all the vanities of this world, of evil and sin, and ask the Lord, and you will receive everything (...) if you ask the Lord without doubting.
But if you doubt in your heart, you will receive none of your requests. For those who doubt in their relation to God are the waverers and do not get any of their requests at all. (...) For anyone who wavers, if they do not repent, can be saved only with difficulty. So cleanse your heart of wavering and clothe yourself in faith, for it is strong, and trust God that you will receive all that you ask for, and if ever, when you have asked the Lord for something, you are somewhat slow in receiving it, do not doubt, because you did not receive your soul's request quickly, for surely it is on account of some temptation or some transgression of which you are unaware, that you are slow in getting what you asked for. So do not stop making your soul's request (...) Beware of such wavering, for it is wicked and foolish and uproots many from the faith, even those who are very faithful and strong (...) Clothe yourself in strong and powerful faith, for faith promises all things and accomplishes all things, but doubt distrusts itself and fails in everything it undertakes.