Homily (Reflection) for
the Twenty-Seventh Sunday
of the Year, (C) (2nd October, 2016) on the Gospel
Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4;
Ps 94:1-2.6-9. (R.
v. 8);2Tim 1:6-8.13-14;
Lk 17:5-10.
Topic: Faith and service to God.
The apostles might have realised that
it is only through faith that one can do the will of God, or heard Jesus
taught, “...whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matt 21:22) among other possibilities. They
also witnessed Jesus’ miracles, cf. Matt
9:2, 22, 29; 15:28, and so on. However, when they tried, the story was not
the same, cf. Mk 9:14-29. And maybe
they thought that the size of their faith was faulty. Hence, they requested in
today’s gospel, “Increase our faith!”
Faith according to the Letter to the Hebrews is “… the
assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). Faith is very important even
in our daily lives. Without faith nobody will venture into anything; one going
to the hospital has faith that he/she will be cured, the person eating has
faith that the food will satisfy his/her hunger and also nourish the body, and
so on. The psalmist wrote, “I kept my faith, even when I said, ‘I am greatly
afflicted’” (Ps 116:10). It is
important to ask ourselves what happens to our faith when we face difficulties.
In reply to their request Jesus said to them: “If you had
faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be
uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you”. The size of the
mustard seed is well-known to many if not all.
Considering some of the teachings of Jesus: “... Truly, I
say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has
been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up
and cast into the sea,' it will be done” (Matt
21:21). Again, “whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have
faith" (Matt 21:22), among
other passages, we will see anyone who has not physically raised the dead, make
the dumb speak, deaf hear and so on as a faithless one. Hence the jumping from
one prayer house to another, from one man of God to another, from one Church to
another, and so on. If one considers how people do the jumping, it looks as if
they have embarked on the census of churches or that of prayer houses.
Although the necessity of faith cannot be overemphasized but
it does not literally mean that everything we want will happen the way we want them.
No doubt, some might see this as something bizarre. Assuming someone with a
very strong faith prays for the death of an innocent man/woman, what do you
expect God to do – kill or leave? If He takes the person’s life, for what and
if not, will it not be seen that the prayee is faithless?
Jesus also said, “... when you have done all that you were
ordered to do, say, ‘we are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought
to have done’”. And part of what we are ordered to do is to have faith. Ours is
to have faith and God’s to see things happen according to His will. Hence, irrespective
of our faith, we still pray, “your will be done” (Matt 6:10).
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews rightly wrote: “And without faith it is impossible to please
him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and
that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb
11:6). If we really have faith, there will be no need for jumping around.
Some undergo terrible experiences in search of these so-called miracles even in
the hands of these men and women of ‘God’. Going from one place to another is
an act of faithlessness. Faith is “… the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction
of things not seen”. There is an Igbo adage: ụtọ ndụ anaghị ekwe ka a mara nke a nọgoro. As we seek for one
thing or another we forget all that God has done for us and through us. We
should always say with the psalmist: “Who can utter the mighty doings of the
LORD, or show forth all his praise?” (Ps
106:2). The gate of heaven is open but for only those who keep faith, cf. Is 26:2. And for Prophet Habakkuk, the
righteous shall live by his faith (Hab
2:4).
Just as we have seen that without
faith we cannot serve God, we should pray to God the source of faith to give us
this gift so as to do his will.
Bible Reading: Heb 11.
Thought for today: Do you have faith?
Let us pray: God,
source of faith, we implore you to give us true faith that will enable us serve
you in this world because without it no one can please you – Amen.
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