Cycle C - Year I: 

6 October 2013: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 17:5-10

"Lord, increase our faith!"

As violence, heinous crimes, and corruption beset our country, do you still keep faith with the Filipino people?

It is tempting to just give up and say that Filipinos are born losers because of our tendency to self-destruct. Perhaps, that is why we are left behind by our Asian neighbors in terms of progress.

But on second thought we cannot give up. We cannot lose hope. We must keep faith in ourselves. Because only we can help ourselves, in spite of ourselves. Because nothing is impossible for those who have faith.

Today's Gospel teaches us about "faith", the very source of our faith, our faith in God.

The Apostles asked Jesus, "Lord, increase our faith!" So what is "faith"?

Well, "faith" is not to have a better knowledge of our catechism and Church dogma. Rather, faith is a much deeper and stronger trust and confidence that our God is near us always, even when He seems so far away, that He takes care of us. Faith starts with humility, making us feel smaller in the presence of our loving God, accepting Him with utter humility and trusting Him to care for us.

The response of Jesus to the Apostles' request to increase their faith is the core message of today's Gospel. Jesus teaches that the efficacy of faith does not depend on its quantity, nor its size, not even its volume, but rather on its quality or its worth. Using the example of a tiny mustard seed, Jesus makes a point that even the smallest amount of faith can enable someone to do amazing things.

In other words, the Apostles (and so are we) did not need to have big volume of their faith increased. What they needed was for their faith be as solid, compact, unbroken as a mustard seed. That was a very small seed indeed, but even faith that is no bigger than that could uproot a tree, move mountains, and do much more.

In practical life, even when we have such faith like a mustard seed, it does not mean that our Christian life will be free of all hardships and difficulty. It is true that God assures us of His love and care, but He never promised a life free of pain, difficulties, sufferings, and even sudden and violent death. Let us not forget that God did not spare His own Son from suffering in Calvary.

But the good news is that with a deep faith and trust in Him, God has promised that we can endure pain and difficulties, that we can accept pain and sufferings, if and when they come, for the sake of making Jesus' message of love and salvation a reality even in our world.

Someone said that "the greatest test of faith is when we don't get what we want, but still we are able to say, at the end of each day, "Thank You, Lord Jesus!"

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!