The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, October 3, 2004
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4
Psalm 95:1-2,6-9
2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14
Luke 17:5-10

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In today's gospel we hear the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus responds by telling them the familiar story about the power of faith, the size of a mustard seed! He doesn't seem to tell them how to increase their faith or even reassure them that they even have any to begin with.

What are we to make of this?

Although there are no clear answers, I would venture to guess that the apostles began to consider at least what it really meant to have faith, and began to realize that faith wasn't something that you just get and talk about, but something (if you had it) required some sort of action or response.

This story can provide us with the opportunity to recognize that, unlike the apostles in today's gospel, we have the benefit of history which helps solidify our faith; namely, that we believe that Jesus is the incarnate divine Son of God and that He suffered, died and rose and all that He promised is therefore trustworthy -- the sum and substance of our faith -- greater, I would say, than the size of a mustard seed!

The obvious corollary then is to consider the power of the faith we possess and put it into action for our salvation and that of the world.

"If you had faith the size of a mustard seed you could ...."

- Donna Raye Nelson, ocds
(drn3rd at hotmail dot com)

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posted by joachim at 4:17 AM