Sunday 6th October 2019.
Read Habakkuk 1:2-3,2:2-4, Psalm 95, 2nd Timothy 1:6-14 and Luke 17:5-10.
_“For still the vision awaits its
time; it hastens to the end -- it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay. Behold, he whose soul is not upright in
him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” *(Habakkuk 2:3-4)*_
Last Sunday, Jesus told us the
parable of the rich man and Lazarus; a powerful illustration of the need for us
to avoid being indifferent to the plight of others suffering around us. If things
are good for you, remember that there are many Lazarus’ lurking around you,
help them even when they lack the courage to ask you directly.
Our Gospel passage today begins with
a prayer from the twelve apostles of Jesus: “Lord, increase our Faith!” What
prompted this prayer? Reading from verse 1 of Luke 17, we hear Jesus teaching two
important topics: Avoidance of scandal and Forgiveness of others continuously. The
Apostles having examined their own hearts realized they had not fared very well
in this regard. They wondered how possible it would be to do what Jesus is
saying so they begged Him to increase their faith. In response, Jesus teaches
us some important lessons about Faith.
*1. Faith Works Regardless of Size.*
As Jesus puts it: “If you had faith
as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be rooted up
and planted in the sea’ and it would obey you.” One of the unique characteristics
of the sycamore tree is that it had very large roots which could extend as far
as sixty feet around the tree such that uprooting it was understood as an
impossible task. More still, Jesus added that you could ask this tree to be
planted in the sea and it will obey you which is again another impossibility given
that a tree of that nature does not grow in the sea. In other words, Jesus is
saying that with faith as little as a mustard seed, we can do the impossible. This
means that it was wrong for the apostles to ask for an increase in faith. Jesus
simply told them indirectly that they lacked faith.
Faith does not work according to
size, if there is any iota of faith at all in you, you will do wonders. Faith,
by itself, is big enough to enable us to do the impossible. In fact, there is
no need for us to ask for big faith since faith on its own is powerful. Jesus
only used the concept of a mustard seed to illustrate the point that when it comes
to faith, size does not matter. I have seen many Christians who buy and chew
mustard seeds in the hope that by so doing, their faith would increase. This is
one clear example of reading the Bible out of context. Faith does not grow. It is
either we have it or do not have it.
*2. Faith is Patience in Tough Times.*
Having shown the power of faith to
accomplish the impossible, Jesus goes on to explain how faith works. Like good
servants who have worked all day for their master, we do not get rewarded
immediately. The servant must wait for the Master to finish his meal before he
can have something to eat. This means believing in God is one thing but being
rewarded for our faith entirely depends on God. The servant does not grumble
when the Master refuses to thank him for the work well done, instead he waits
for the Master.
Simply put, faith is patience. No wonder
the book of Hebrews describes faith as the “assurance of things hoped for and
the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). In other words, to have
faith is to always remember that we are merely servants of God; the Master who
knows how best to take care of His Children, the Master who will not give us scorpion
when we ask for egg and will not give us a snake when we ask for fish. (Cf. Luke
11:11-13).
*3. The Righteous Shall Live by Faith.*
Our first reading today addresses one
of the questions that often baffle us as Christians; “why do we continue to experience
misfortunes despite our holiness and uprightness?” The Prophet Habakkuk wonders:
“Why do you make me see wrongs and look upon trouble?” In response, God says to
him: “For still the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end – it will not
lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come. It will not delay… the
righteous shall live by his faith.” (Hab. 2:2-4)
This simply teaches us that faith in
God is not a shield against tough times; it is rather a defence that keeps us
going in tough times. Faith is remaining steadfast when it seems as if our
prayers are falling on deaf ears. Faith is deciding never to give up on God no
matter what happens. As Job was tested, we are faced with various forms of
testing daily but faith alone keeps us going. St. Paul writing to Timothy in
our second reading today says: “Do not be ashamed of testifying to our Lord,
nor of me his prisoner but take your share of suffering for the Gospel in the
power of God.” (2nd Tim. 1:8).
What kept Jesus going when he had to
carry the cross amidst the laughter and mockery of the crowd and the brutality
of soldiers? How was Jesus able to remain silent when he stood before Herod? The
answer is faith. Without this strong faith, we would find ourselves falling
away from God when the going becomes tough. Jesus knew this and warned us ahead
saying: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and
whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. For what does it profit a
man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Matthew
16:24-26, Mark 8:34-36, Luke 9:23-25)
*Conclusion:*
Faith is not for the good times only.
Faith is that which sustains us in bad times. According to St. Augustine:
“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see
what you believe.” It is not easy to live a righteous life when things are not
going smoothly in your life but do not forget that faith is patience. Trust
that God will never leave you forsaken. Never give up on God.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, you said to
the man who brought his son to your disciples for healing: “All things are
possible to him who believes.” Like the man, I cry to you now: “I believe; help
my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24) Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Year C. Bible Study: Habakkuk 1:2-3,2:2-4, Psalm 95, 2nd Timothy 1:6-14 and
Luke 17:5-10).
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