Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 141
Reading 1
How long, O LORD? I cry for help
but you do not listen!
I cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not intervene.
Why do you let me see ruin;
why must I look at misery?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and clamorous discord.
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 fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
if it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (8) If today you hear his
voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading 2
Beloved:
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of the Lord remains forever.
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The apostles said to the Lord,
"Increase our faith."
The Lord replied,
"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, 'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
We are encouraged to question our faith continuously in order that it may grow. Regardless of our circumstances or where we may find ourselves, our faith will eventually be tested. Before we are challenged, it is good to prepare for that day. In the Book of Genesis, when Joseph served as advisor to the king of Egypt, he foresaw a great famine coming to the area and he advised the Pharaoh to store up wheat in preparation, so that the suffering of the land could be alleviated while he also became better as a result, being the only one who had wheat to provide to those in need. Jesus also reminds us to, “Store up treasures in heaven,” instead of focusing on material gain on this earth. “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” If our heart is with God, this indicates the strength of our faith. The act of storing up, means preparing for something. This something goes back preparing for a time when we will come under spiritual attack, either stemming from challenges that we may have, or doubts brought about by what we might interpret as an unresponsiveness from God.
We live in a society today where there is an expectation of quick results or a quick fulfillment of what we seek. Immediate gratification of our desires is often offered to the point that a lack thereof fosters dissatisfaction, anxiety, and disappointment. Multimedia and the free-market system that we are exposed to enforce these attitudes. Instagram Reels average between 20 to 30 seconds, while TikTok reels go upwards of 60 seconds. These snippets then encourage us to delve deeper into what is being promoted, designed to capture our interest and influence our thought process. Interactions between people can be reduced to text messaging and postings on social media. There is a lack of deep thought and awareness. The pursuit of wisdom is compromised. Relationships are in constant danger of being shallow with a lack of any depth. Because of these reasons, our faith can be undermined and threatened.
The prophet Habakkuk laments that God’s justice is lacking. He prays for God’s intersession and there is no apparent answer. This frustrates him forces him to question God’s actions. God in response mentions that justice is already present and that it is all around him, it is just going unnoticed. The rash ones, those who think God is not present, lose their integrity through their actions in reaction to the assumed absence of God while those who have a focus on God will be persevered. This can serve as a warning to us. Treating our faith-life like a 30 second real on Instragram will leave it weak and vulnerable to the influences of outside forces that seek to derail it, if not to destroy it. The definition of faith is, “The belief in the unseen.” If our belief in God is so easily shaken by circumstances that we find ourselves in, then what benefit does it serve to us? That indicates some sort of weakness within us that we must work on if we are to strengthen it. Strengthening it will then lead to a deeper relationship with God and a better understanding of how we may apply that relationship to all aspects of our lives.
The Apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. They were seeking immediate results. Obviously, they had some doubts, and they were looking for Jesus to relieve these. They were seeking an immediate solution to a problem that they had which only they could solve. This request came after they were witnesses to many miracles and wonderous deeds performed by Jesus, including the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Yet, the Apostles still doubted. They were either challenging Jesus or pleading with Him to do this, but what more could He do if they were resistant to what He already was offering them and teaching them? If we become resistant to what Jesus is offering us and telling us, we will suffer the same results. The responsibility came back to each of the individual Apostles to do the work necessary to achieve what they were seeking. It also needed to come from within. It wasn’t going to be given to them, regardless of how hard they worked for or what they did for Jesus. What they did for Him was expected being His Apostles. The responsibility would then have to come from the Apostles themselves. If they wanted faith, then they would have to find it. To find, they would have to spend time on it.
Our faith is no different. If we work on it, we will strengthen it. If we seek the answers, we will get them. As Jesus said,
“Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened.”
This takes action on our part and the will to achieve what we set out to achieve. God will deny us nothing. He is offering us everything. We just must make the choice to take it.
Having a rich and strong faith-life grounded in the teachings of Jesus and Sacred scripture will render only positive results. Our lives will be orientated towards God and then He will be able to do what He always wanted to do: to enter a relationship with us that will transform us into a new creation, one with Him at its center. Once our faith recognizes God then that means He is walking with us. If He is walking with us, who can really be against us?
Deacon Tom
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