Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 17:5-10
In the Gospel reading, we heard that the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Lord, increase our faith.” Even though the disciples had lived with Jesus and learned and experienced many things from Jesus, they still knew that their faith was very weak. The disciples were wise enough, humble enough, and bold enough to acknowledge their lack of faith, and they were ready to take a courageous step to improve it. Let us ask ourselves: “What steps are we taking to deepen our faith lives?”
Let me share with you a small story: Once, a person prayed to God, “Please give me a flower and a butterfly for my garden.” When he opened his eyes, he found a cactus and a caterpillar in his garden instead of a flower and a butterfly. He was discouraged and wondered why God had misunderstood his request. But he decided not to complain; maybe God had too many people to take care of. But he did not give up and kept praying. After some time, when he went to the garden, he found, to his surprise, that the ugly caterpillar had transformed into a charming butterfly, and the thorny and ugly cactus had a beautiful flower on it!
The moral message of the story is: God always gives the best to those who leave the choices to God. But leaving the choices to God is almost impossible unless we have the power of faith within us. Faith is God’s gift, which naturally belongs to our human nature. Children often place their faith in their parents early in life. Babies sleep soundly, warmed by cotton blankets and protected by their mother’s care. Whatever is going to happen in our lives is going to be good; nothing will happen without the knowledge of God! Everything is in God’s hands; God will not do anything wrong. The only thing we need to do is trust in God and have faith in God! Also, we should admit that “Everything happens for a reason. Wait on God and trust in Him. God wants the best for us. He wants to take us from glory to glory, and from victory to victory.” There are no unanswered prayers…. A “no” now does not mean a “no” forever!
In the gospel reading, Jesus says, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. Even though the mustard seed is very tiny, the inside of the seed is very strong and solid. Our seeds of faith should be deep and solid. Whether our faith lives are small or big, if we cooperate with God’s plans in our lives, we will be led to abundant fruits with God’s blessings. As birds find shelter in trees, we can find comfort in God’s grace, and we will be able to enjoy happiness and peace in God’s heavenly kingdom. Let us try being diligent and doing our roles faithfully and without failure. God is with us. God will give us the fruits and the grace through the power of the Holy Spirit that we need.
When Jesus says that a small amount of faith can uproot a mulberry tree, Jesus does not expect us to believe in impossible matters. But Jesus expects His followers to allow God to make the impossible possible, with our cooperation. So, faith for us is like a bridge that leads us to reach out to one another and to God. Faith can build bridges, bind and bless with grace, and at the same time, remove all obstacles that come across our paths! “Let your life reflect the faith you have in God. Fear nothing and pray about everything. Be strong, trust God’s word, and trust the process.”
Many Christians today believe that true and mature faith consists in the ability to obtain miracles from God. The truth that today’s Gospel shows us is that mature faith consists not in how much God attends to our immediate needs, but in how willing we are to serve God unconditionally, without counting the cost. Let us today join the apostles in asking the Lord to increase our faith.
As we reflect and meditate upon today’s gospel reading, let us ask ourselves what kind of faith we have. The disciples understood that faith is a gift; we can get it by asking and praying to God. Jesus assures us that every seed, even the smallest, contains possibility and purpose. When we hold a seed in our hands, we are holding a future still unwritten. We cannot begin to imagine what will come. Faith is like that: a place where even those who feel small and forgotten are given the grace to grow. We must be people of prayer and action, and be willing to place our trust in God for all we need!
Let us remember the words of Saint Mother Teresa. “Faith literally means ‘to give up, surrender, or commit.’ Faith is complete confidence in God.”