Jesus heals the sick son

Gospel JN 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.

In today's reading, a desperate royal official asks Jesus to heal his sick son.  It makes me wonder: how often does it take a real tragedy before we seek out God?  A divorce, an illness, a death, a financial setback.  The list goes on.  When we are desperate and there is no where else to turn, we turn to God just as the royal official did.  When I first read the story, I was judgmental of the official.  What a man of weak faith!  He will only believe Jesus if he is given a "sign!"  But on reflecting further, that's a pretty harsh interpretation.  The royal official is both desperate AND faithful - believing that Jesus could very well heal his son.  I am at my best when I turn toward God in both good and bad circumstances.