Believe and Grow Your Little Faith
Introduction
The prophet Habakkuk assures the people of God. He says: Even if you do not understand God’s ways, remain faithful to God, for he is a God on whom you can rely.
If we look back to the Bible and to history, even recent history about persons we have known or who are perhaps still alive, even discreet, humble people, but people of faith who take the word of Jesus seriously, we see that with them God can do very great things, can do the impossible. But we must really believe. Even a grain of faith can work miracles. Let us ask for this grain of faith.
1 Reading Habakkuk 1:12—2:4
Are you not from eternity, O LORD,
my holy God, immortal?
O LORD, you have marked him for judgment,
O Rock, you have readied him punishment!
Too pure are your eyes to look upon evil,
and the sight of misery you cannot endure.
Why, then, do you gaze on the faithless in silence
while the wicked man devours
one more just than himself?
You have made man like the fish of the sea,
like creeping things without a ruler.
He brings them all up with his hook,
he hauls them away with his net,
He gathers them in his seine;
and so he rejoices and exults.
Therefore he sacrifices to his net,
and burns incense to his seine;
for thanks to them his portion is generous,
and his repast sumptuous.
Shall he, then, keep on brandishing his sword
to slay peoples without mercy?
I will stand at my guard post,
and station myself upon the rampart,
And keep watch to see what he will say to me,
and what answer he will give to my complaint.
Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision
Clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfilment, and will not disappoint;
If it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash man has no integrity;
but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.
Responsorial Psalm 9:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
R. (11b) You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.
The LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with justice;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of distress.
They trust in you who cherish your name,
for you forsake not those who seek you, O LORD.
R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.
Sing praise to the LORD enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations his deeds;
For the avenger of blood has remembered;
he has not forgotten the cry of the poor.
R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.
Alleluia 2 Timothy 1:10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Saviour Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 17:14-20
A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said,
“Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely;
often he falls into fire, and often into water.
I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
Jesus said in reply,
“O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you?
Bring the boy here to me.”
Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him,
and from that hour the boy was cured.
Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said,
“Why could we not drive it out?”
He said to them, “Because of your little faith.
Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Commentary
Friends told me about an old-time Bishop (later a Cardinal) who, when asked if he had received the Spirit, said, “I don’t receive the Spirit! I give the Spirit!” (He was thinking of Confirmation.) When referring to any of the central doctrines of the Faith, he would say, “I voted for that!” (at the 2nd Vatican Council). And on another occasion he said to a congregation, “You’re not the Church, I’m the Church; you’re just the people of God!” Yes, sometimes, like the man in today’s gospel story, we want to get past the disciples and talk to Jesus directly! Why not? If you must do what Jesus does, you must have the faith of Jesus and the same trust he has in His Father.
Blessing
“If you had faith the size of a tiny seed.” It is perhaps good that at times our faith is tried and tested through difficulties and questions, so as not to become complacent. Let us place our trust in the love and concern of God, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!