Gospel (Jn 4,43-54) - At that time, Jesus left [from Samaria] for Galilee. In fact, Jesus himself had declared that a prophet does not receive honor in his own homeland. So when he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, because they had seen everything he had done in Jerusalem, during the feast; in fact they too had gone to the party. He then went back to Cana of Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. There was an official of the king, who had a sick son in Capernaum. This man, hearing that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, because he was about to die. Jesus said to him: "Unless you see signs and wonders, you do not believe." The king's official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus answered him: "Go, your son lives." That man believed the word that Jesus had told him and set out. Just as he was going down, his servants came to meet him and say: "Your son lives!". He wanted to know from them at what time he began to feel better. They told him: "Yesterday, an hour after midday, the fever left him." The father recognized that at that very hour Jesus had said to him: "Your son lives", and he and his entire family believed. This was the second sign, which Jesus did when he returned from Judea to Galilee.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Today the fourth week of Lent opens and in the readings of the holy liturgy we are presented with Jesus as the Lord of life. The Gospel of John, which from today will accompany us until the end of Lent, presents Jesus as having just returned to Galilee, to his region, despite having said that no one is a prophet in his homeland. Galilee was a peripheral region compared to Jerusalem, a region at the crossroads of different people, including pagans, and for this reason held in little consideration. In short, truly a suburb. Here Jesus began his preaching. And the evangelist starts the scene right from Cana where he had performed his first "sign", the first miracle. The notation is not accidental. On that occasion Jesus performed the miracle with the strength of his word which his servants welcomed and put into practice. Even now the same thing happens. The miracle of that son's healing takes place from afar with the strength of the word of Jesus who gives life. The evangelist notes that it is the "second" sign performed by Jesus with the power of his word. For the evangelist who presented Jesus as the "Word" who became flesh, this theme of the "Word" of Jesus is obviously crucial in describing what it means to believe in Jesus. Similarly it will happen in the episode of the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus is in Cana and here an official of King Herod Antipas joins him: he has a sick son and believes that Jesus can heal him. He approaches him and asks him to go to his house because his son is about to die. Jesus seems to resist this father's prayer. And, as if annoyed, he replies: "If you don't see signs and wonders, you don't believe." That official, however, insists, he really believes in the "word" of Jesus and his healing power. Given the insistence, Jesus doesn't ask the disciples to pray insistently!? – immediately replies: “Go, your son lives”. For that man, this word of Jesus is enough to convince him. And he sets off towards home, without asking anything more. The evangelist notes: "just as they were going" the servants came to meet him saying: "your son lives!". It was a remote miracle that was due to the faith of that official. He stands before us as a true believer. He was not Jewish and did not even attend the synagogue, but he believed the word of Jesus without hesitation. For this faith his healed son was given back to him. By welcoming this faith into our hearts, we continue our journey towards Easter and we will experience the healing power of the Gospel for ourselves.