27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Theme: Faith gives us life 6-10-2013
1st Reading Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4 even if lawlessness prevail, the upright will live through faithfulness.
2nd Reading 2nd Timothy 1:6-8,13-14 Gifts that Timothy received, to live comfortably in faith
Gospel Luke 17:5-10 Power of faith, and Humble service
The veracity of our parents is never taken to question.
We trust we are the children of our parents.
Because they have loved us that is the reason we are in this world.
This fact is the natural basis for our faith in God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit who have thought it fit to choose us to be Christians.
The gift of faith in the divinely revealed religious faith is a mystery we try to understand and deepen everyday in the life we lead as Christians.
In the first reading taken from one of the 12 minor prophets Habakkuk, gives us the inner dynamics of the gift of faith.
It tells us Faith is the key to life.
Gift is always given out of generosity and gratuitous nature of the giver is expressed in giving.
The one who receives the gift has no right to choose the gift, or to make the gift as an option of his/her prerogative.
Though often after a gift is given it becomes the property of the possessor, He/she may use it as he/she wants. There is where we either become aware of this tremendous gift and deepen it or loose it.
In the case of Faith which is a gratuitous gift from God given to each of us.
Faith becomes our possession but this possession has a mission to be shared.
God wants each of us born here on this earth to be saved.
God the father sent His only Son among us and saved us.
Giving us the keys to the kingdom.
According to Habakkuk, whatever the evils of this world the person of faith will win eventually.
In the second reading the quality of faith is explained.
Christ has over come death.
He has shown the people who accept his redemption as a gift the way to be saved.
This faith is so free and gratuitous we don’t even realize the significance of this gift as long as we do not become aware of it’s possession.
That is why Paul admonishes Timothy to be firm in the teaching, “remain in faith and love that are in Jesus Christ.” This gives us our character never to be afraid of witnessing to Christ’s teachings.
The Gospel we read today is a teaching by Jesus to us an exercise in understanding the power of faith.
Jesus gives us a very unusual example of a mustard seed, a mountain being uprooted thrown into the sea, a sycamore tree uprooting and thrown into the sea.
Rather impossible things look very difficult to achieve but Jesus has shown he could do this difficult easy.
Look at the feeding of the people in the wilderness.
Look at satisfying the wedding guests in the wedding feast with exceptional tasting wine.
Look at the raising of Jairus daughter to life.
Look at calming the sea when the disciples were afraid of drowning.
Look at the man lying 36 years in the Decapolis when no one was there to put him in the pool of healing, being healed in a second.
Look at the blind given sight,
The lame given power to walk.
Deaf the power to hear.
The maimed to be whole again.
The leper being cured of leprosy.
Disciples catching a large catch of fish though they were fishermen still he was better than them when it came to using faith.
So when Jesus admonishes us to be aware of the gift of faith he has given us, he cautions each one of us who have been chosen in a very special way as his witnesses to be his disciples.
Do we have the courage to be the testimony of faith?
The Greek word for faith carries the idea of firmness, certainty, and reliability.
Faith is not just belief on certain truths.
It is trust in a person.
This is because that person is trustworthy.
We trust in God because he is true and loves us dearly.
Let us consider this.
We have experienced Jesus love and compassion.
His faith and vision to be our mission.
Let it become a vibrant weapon of our witnessing this week.
In union with the divine word,
Fr. Juze Vaz svd
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