Mass readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time:
Habakkuk 1.2-3;2.2-4 Psalm 95.1-2, 6-7, 9 2 Timothy 1.6-8, 13-14 Luke 17.5-10
Passages from the gospels such as we just heard really put paid to the image of “gentle Jesus, meek and mild.” Our Lord, frankly, is just brutal here in his criticism of the Apostles. They ask Jesus to increase their faith – how wonderful! What a testament to their enthusiasm, their excitement over the Gospel; and yet, Jesus’ reply is essentially, “Increase your faith? You’ve got to have faith to begin with… and you don’t even have a mustard seed’s worth of faith!”
And that must have left the Apostles perplexed: “What do you mean, Lord? Have we not shown faith by showing up, listening to your teaching, asking questions to show we’re paying attention?
What Jesus says next implies the criticism that what our Lord sees among his followers at this point in his ministry is just intellectual agreement, a lot of talk on their part, but very little action, and so, few or no concrete demonstrations of faith. Indeed, we get the sense that the Apostles expect to be praised whenever they actually do something, anything according to Jesus’s teaching as opposed to just talking about it.
Neither the disciples with Jesus, or us today gathered in Christ’s name should expect any praise or reward for simply doing what we’ve been told to do. And our Lord warns that we have a big problem insofar as we talk a good game of being a Christian, but do very little to prove we are faithful disciples.
When we step out in faith, and go into action, be that in our prayer life, in our worship, in our service, it’s certainly an improvement over mere lip service to the gospel. However, that we walk the walk as we talk the talk, this is not a favour to God. Rather it is a necessity for us. God in this instance is not so impressed that he will then tell us to sit down, have a rest, get you a drink, become our servant, our slave. God is doing us a favour by making us part of his household as slaves, and hopefully, then as part of his family as adopted sons and daughters, as we take up his work.
If you remember last week’s homily when I spoke about the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. What could have saved the rich man who winds up in the fires of hell was to recognize Lazarus lying at the gate of his mansion, and then reach out and establish a relationship with him, a relationship of caring and concern. There was an opportunity to care about someone else, and that would have been to broken the rich man out of his own little world, burst the bubble he lived in, his unconscious self-concern, selfishness and solipsism would diminish and make it possible for him to have a saving encounter with God.
We all know the teaching: faith without works is dead. That stands as an essential of Catholicism, of Christianity. Belief is a starting point on the journey of faith, the living sacrifice of ourselves is the journey itself that takes us to God, heaven, the kingdom, eternal life. Jesus is telling us, the works lead to greater faith, the proof of the gospel is in living it. I mean, look at me. Look where I’ve ended up as of today. I can’t say I imagined this as a young man… ever. In fact, as I’ve told my story on other occasions, I was, as a young man, quite determined not to find myself up here, a preacher, a minister of the gospel, a priest of the Church, a slave of our Lord, with hopes that I will prove worthy enough to be adopted as one of God’s children, and truly find myself a brother in Christ.
I’ve overcome my misgivings, my fear, just enough to put my feet on the path (admittedly straying from time to time!). I’ve come to believe it might just be possible for me to make the journey of life one that brings me to God in Christ, that it can happen by power of his grace.
But do we all believe that such things are possible for all of us? Are any afraid? Does the journey of discipleship look more to us like the climb up Calvary by way of the valley of the shadow of death, and so, too fearsome, too intimidating? The world, of course, appears to offer another choice, life as a pleasurable stroll through an idyllic landscape in fine pleasant weather – that’s the false choice Satan offers and one that many know from bitter experience is a lie.
Does the prospect of God asking of us a greater sacrifice than we are prepared to give what keeps us mulling over our faith rather than putting it into action? Do we not know that God will give us whatever we need to answer his calling? If it is a short walk up Calvary, or a lifetime on a road in the wilderness, don’t we believe that God is with us through it all? As St. Paul tells us today, we’ve been given a spirit of power, of love, of self-control. So, in confidence we should let that guide and strengthen us, not refuse it until we’ve thought about it a little more.
October is vocations month, and while we might be apt think of vocation in the narrow terms of holy orders, of religious life, to understand that only as praying for more priests, deacons, and nuns, we are also to be concerned with the broader, common vocation we all share in: to know God, to love Him; to serve Him in this life so as to be with Him forever in the next. How do we accomplish this?
As much as the Church needs those dedicated in religious life, in ordained ministry, she also needs all to be engaged in their faith through the active living of it: and that is found in prayer, study, worship, service, in ministry and in sacrament. And after this mass we’re invited to walk to the parish centre and learn about the ministry of this parish, how our faith can find expression here and now. And then we are called to discernment, to ask of ourselves, what can I give to my Lord as a living sacrifice of myself? What can I give that by grace Christ can use to leaven our spirits and increase our faith?
Some will say life is too busy for any of this right now. Wait til the kids are a little older, wait til I’m retired and have lots of time. Others will say, I’m retired now, but I’m also just worn out, let the younger folks take up the work. Yet others will say, I’ve done my time with this ministry or that group; well, God may be calling you to something else now. Still others will say, I’ve nothing to give that’s of use in ministry. We’re all called and we’ll find our place, but only in searching, in knocking on the door, in asking of the Lord.
Now, is what you’ll find next door an exhaustive display of all the possibilities? Certainly not, but it may be that first step on the road to the land God will show you. It’s the first test of a faith that may be smaller than a mustard seed, but surely, as with the mustard seed in another of Jesus parables, once planted it grows into something wonderful; and something never anticipated.
In the words of St. Paul, we are invited, “…to rekindle the gift of God that is within [us]…”
Amen.