Sunday, October 7, 2007

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 17:5-10
SO WHY DO THE APOSTLES SAY, “LORD, INCREASE OUR FAITH?” WHAT DO THEY EXPECT TO GET OUT OF IT? THEY'VE BEEN WITH JESUS FOR A WHILE. THEY'VE SEEN HIS MIRACLES. THEY'VE LISTENED TO HIS TEACHING, AND OFTEN PUZZLED OVER WHAT HE COULD POSSIBLY MEAN. MAYBE THAT IS WHAT THEY MEAN. MAYBE THEY WANT TO DO MIRACLES, MAYBE THEY WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN FORGIVE SOMEONE SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN, WHICH IS WHAT JESUS JUST FINISHED TELLING THEM.
BUT HE GIVES A STRANGE ANSWER. 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.
A MUSTARD SEED, TO THE PEOPLE OF THAT TIME, WAS THE SMALLEST SEED AROUND. AND A MULBERRY TREE ONCE FULLY GROWN, COULD NOT BE TRANSPLANTED ANYWHERE-- THE ROOTS WERE SO EXTENSIVE THAT ANY ATTEMPT TO MOVE THE TREE KILLED IT. MAYBE JESUS IS SAYING, “FAITH IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE INCREASED OR DECREASED; YOU EITHER HAVE IT OR YOU DON'T.”
JESUS GOES ON TO TELL THEM A STORY THAT SEEMS TO HAVE LITTLE TO DO WITH THEIR QUESTION, BUT IT REALLY HAS A LOT. HE SAYS, “PRETEND LIKE YOU HAD A SERVANT. WOULD YOU WAIT ON THAT MAN WHEN HE CAME HOME FROM WORK? OR WOULD YOU CONTINUE TO TREAT HIM LIKE A SERVANT?” THE APOSTLES KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT ONE. AND THEN JESUS SAYS, THAT IS THE SAME WITH YOU – EVEN WHEN YOU DO EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO, SAY TO YOURSELVES, WE ARE UNPROFITABLE, WE HAVE ONLY DONE OUR DUTY.
I DON'T REALLY LIKE TO REPHRASE THE GOSPEL AFTER YOU'VE JUST HEARD IT, BUT THIS ONE IS DIFFICULT. JESUS KNOWS WHAT THE APOSTLES WANT – THEY WANT POWER, ENLIGHTENEMENT – THEY WANT A FAITH THAT SERVES THEM. JESUS TELLS THEM THAT THE FAITH THEY SHOULD BE SEEKING IS THE FAITH OF A SERVANT WHO DOES HIS DUTY – A FAITH WHICH MIGHT BETTER BE TERMED “FAITHFULNESS”.
I SUSPECT MOST OF US HAVE FAITH, IN THE SENSE THAT WE BELIEVE IN GOD, IN JESUS, IN THE MASS; BUT PROBABLY ALL OF US COULD BE MORE FAITHFUL. WE COULD PRAY MORE; WE COULD BE MORE CHARITABLE; WE COULD LIVE AS THOUGH WE REALLY CARED ABOUT OUR NEIGHBOR, ABOUT THE POOR AMONG US. SOME OF US ARE PROBABLY MORE FAITHFUL THAN OTHERS; BUT NONE OF US ARE THERE YET, NONE OF US CAN SAY “WE HAVE BEEN AS FAITHFUL AS WE COULD BE.” BUT WE CAN SAY, IF WE ARE LIVING OUR LIVES THE WAY JESUS ASKS US TO, THAT WE ARE MORE FAITHFUL THAN WE WERE YESTERDAY, OR LAST YEAR.
THAT IS WHAT HABAKKUK IS TALKING ABOUT. TO HIM AND HIS COUNTRYMEN, EVERYTHING IS FALLING APART, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH GOD HAS DESERTED THEM; WE KNOW THAT DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER HABAKKUK WROTE HIS PROPHECY, THE BABYLONIANS CONQUERED JERUSALEM AND SENT ALL ITS INHABITANTS INTO EXILE. GOD'S ANSWER TO HABAKKUK IS NOT WHAT HE WOULD LIKE. GOD SAYS, IN EFFECT, “THERE WILL BE AN END TO ALL OF THIS, BUT YOUR JOB, IF YOU ARE A JUST ONE, IS TO BE FAITHFUL – AND THEN YOU WILL LIVE.” THE HEBREW WORD THAT IS TRANSLATED “FAITH” HERE REALLY MEANS “FAITHFUL” -- AND IN THIS CONTEXT, MEANS TO ADHERE TO THE LAW THAT GOD HAS GIVEN THEM.
IF WE WANT TO BE MORE FAITHFUL, AND WE SHOULD, IT HAS TO START WITH US. GOD HAS GIVEN US FAITH; ONLY WE CAN COOPERATE WITH HIS GRACE. OCTOBER, SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER, IS THE MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY, AND TOMORROW IS THE FEAST OF THE HOLY ROSARY. A WONDERFUL WAY TO BEGIN TO BE MORE FAITHFUL IS TO MAKE THE ROSARY A DAILY PRAYER. WHY? BECAUSE IT IS A MEDITATION ON THE LIVES OF JESUS AND MARY. WHY? BECAUSE WE SPEAK THE WORDS OF JESUS TO HIS FATHER, AND THE WORDS OF THE ANGEL TO MARY. WHY? BECAUSE WHEN WE SAY THE ROSARY EVERY DAY, ALL THAT WE HAVE DONE THAT DAY CAN BE MEASURED AGAINST THE WORDS THAT WE PRAY, THE SCENES THAT WE IMAGINE. WHY? BECAUSE IF YOU KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND 15 MINUTES SAYING THE ROSARY THOUGHTFULLY AND PRAYERFULLY, REFLECTING ON YOUR DAY, YOU BEGIN TO BE MORE FAITHFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO, NOT JUST IN YOUR PRAYER.
OUR MOTHER MARY THROUGH HER SAINTS HAS GIVEN MANY WONDERFUL PROMISES TO THOSE WHO SAY THE ROSARY. ST. DOMINIC WAS CHARGED BY MARY TO PREACH THE ROSARY, AND WAS GIVEN THESE PROMISES, AMONG OTHERS:THE ROSARY WILL MAKE VIRTUE AND GOOD WORKS FLOURISH, AND WILL OBTAIN FOR SOULS THE MOST ABUNDANT DIVINE MERCIES. IT WILL DRAW THE HEARTS OF MEN FROM THE LOVE OF THE WORLD AND ITS VANITIES, AND WILL LIFT THEM TO THE DESIRE OF ETERNAL THINGS.
THOSE WHO TRUST THEMSELVES TO ME THROUGH THE ROSARY WILL NOT PERISH.
THOSE WHO FAITHFULLY RECITE MY ROSARY SHALL HAVE DURING THEIR LIFE AND AT THEIR DEATH THE LIGHT OF
GOD AND THE FULLNESS OF HIS GRACES AND WILL SHARE IN THE MERITS OF THE BLESSED.
THOSE WHO RECITE MY ROSARY FAITHFULLY ARE MY BELOVED CHILDREN, THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF JESUS CHRIST.
THERE WERE ACTUALLY FIFTEEN PROMISES MADE TO DOMINIC, NOT TO MENTION SEVERAL OTHERS DOWN THROUGH THE AGES.
SO HOW DO WE BECOME MORE FAITHFUL? A GOOD WAY IS TO START SAYING THE ROSARY EVERY DAY. AND A GOOD TIME TO START IS DURING THE MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY. AND A GOOD DAY TO START IS ON THE FEAST OF THE HOLY ROSARY.