Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 17:5-10
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THIS COUNTRY, THE PURITANS WOULD SPEND MOST OF SUNDAY IN WORSHIP. SERMONS WOULD GO ON FOR HOURS. WE STILL HAVE SOME OF THESE SERMONS THAT WERE LATER PRINTED IN SMALL BOOKS. MAYBE OUR ANCESTORS HAD LONGER ATTENTION SPANS, OR MAYBE IN AN AGE WITHOUT TELEVISION THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ELSE TO ENTERTAIN THEM; BUT I DOUBT THAT EVEN THE POPE COULD SIT STILL FOR A SIX HOUR SERMON. MOST CATHOLICS START TO TWITCH AFTER FIFTEEN MINUTES. ANYWAY, THE PURITANS HAD A WAY TO KEEP AWAKE. THEY WOULD CARRY SMALL LINEN BAGS CONTAINING SEEDS. A PEPPER CORN; A LICORICE SEED; A CARAWAY SEED; A CUMIN SEED, A MUSTARD SEED; THE DEVOUT CHURCHGOER WOULD REACH IN HIS LITTLE BAG, SELECT A SINGLE SEED, PUT IT IN HIS MOUTH, BREAK IT, SUCK ON IT, WORRY IT, UNTIL THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT. THEN HE'D TAKE ANOTHER. THE TASTE AND SMELL AND TACTILE SENSATION KEPT HIS EYES OPEN AND HIS ATTENTION ON THE MINISTER.
HAVE YOU EVER BITTEN INTO A MUSTARD SEED? IT'S AMAZING HOW MUCH FLAVOR YOU GET; ALONG WITH A SLIGHT BURN, LIKE CHILI PEPPER. I CAN SEE WHERE IT WOULD WAKE YOU UP. PEOPLE IN JESUS' DAY CONSIDERED THE MUSTARD SEED THE SMALLEST OF SEEDS; BUT MAYBE IN THIS GOSPEL JESUS WAS CONSIDERING THE TASTE AS WELL.
I WANT TO TEACH YOU A NEW WORD TODAY, SO THAT WHEN YOU LEAVE CHURCH YOU WILL BE SMARTER THAN WHEN YOU CAME IN. THAT WORD IS “PERICOPE”. IT IS WHAT WE CALL THESE LITTLE PASSAGES THAT WE READ FROM SCRIPTURE. SOMETIMES, AS IS TRUE OF THE GOSPEL TODAY, THE PERICOPE IS PLUCKED OUT OF CONTEXT, AND IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE THINGS THAT JESUS IS SAYING ARE UNRELATED, AND SOMETIMES THEY SOUND LIKE SAYINGS FROM CONFUCIUS. SO A LITTLE BACKGROUND. JESUS HAS BEEN TELLING PARABLES. HE TOLD HIS APOSTLES ABOUT THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. HE TOLD THEM ABOUT THE PRODIGAL SON AND THE WOMAN WHO LOST A COIN AND THE SHEPHERD WHO WENT IN SEARCH OF HIS SHEEP. AND THEN HE TELLS THEM THAT IF THEY ARE THE CAUSE FOR SIN FOR ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES, IT IS BETTER FOR THEM TO HAVE A MILLSTONE TIED AROUND THEIR NECKS AND BE CAST INTO THE SEA; AND HE TELLS THEM THAT THEY ARE TO HAVE NO LIMITS TO THEIR FORGIVENESS. AND IF YOU ARE SERIOUSLY TRYING TO FOLLOW JESUS, AS THE APOSTLES WERE, BY THIS TIME YOU WOULD THINK THIS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE. JESUS HAS BEEN DESCRIBING A WAY OF LIFE WHICH SEEMS CLEARLY SUPERHUMAN. AND THAT IS WHERE THE APOSTLES CRY OUT, “INCREASE OUR FAITH!” BECAUSE THEY REALIZE THAT TO LIVE A LIFE LIKE JESUS IS DESCRIBING IS GOING TO TAKE A LOT MORE THAN THEY THINK THEY HAVE.
AND JESUS REPLIES, AND IT WOULD BE MORE CLEAR IF WE COULD READ GREEK, “YOU ALREADY HAVE ALL THE FAITH YOU NEED. FAITH IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE MEASURED OUT BY THE GALLON. ANY FAITH CAN ACCOMPLISH IMPOSSIBLE THINGS – THINGS LIKE PICKING UP A TREE AND PLANTING IT IN THE SEA – IF THAT IS WHAT THE FATHER WANTS. AND WHAT I HAVE BEEN DESCRIBING IS A WAY OF LIFE THAT THE FATHER WANTS FOR YOU. IF HE WANTS IT, AND YOU WANT IT, WHAT CAN GO WRONG?
CHRISTIANITY IS FILLED WITH EVIDENCE OF THIS. WE READ ABOUT SOME SAINTS WHO WERE CONVERTED IN AN INSTANT, LIKE SAINT PAUL; OTHERS WHO SEEMED TO BE SAINTS FROM THE MOMENT THEY GRADUATED FROM DIAPERS, LIKE SAINT THERESA OF LISIEUX; BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF SAINTS WHO SEEMED TO HAVE MADE A DELIBERATE DECISION TO BECOME SAINTS. SAINT AUGUSTINE STARTED OUT THINKING THAT CHRISTIANS WERE NOT VERY SMART, AND BELIEVED IN A LOT OF NONSENSE. THEN HE HEARD SAINT AMBROSE PREACH, AND EVENTUALLY MADE THE DECISION TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN. AND THAT IS THE WAY MOST SAINTS GOT TO BE SAINTS; THEY YIELDED TO GOD'S WILL, AND GOD'S WILL IS THAT YOU AND I BECOME SAINTS, AND JESUS HAS LAID OUT THE WAY WE ARE TO DO THIS, AND TELLS US THAT WE HAVE ALL THE GRACE WE NEED, ALL THE FAITH WE NEED. IF GOD WANTS IT, WHICH HE DOES, AND IF WE WANT IT, WHICH IS THE REAL PROBLEM, IT WILL HAPPEN.
A MUSTARD SEED IS VERY SMALL, BUT IF YOU BITE ON ONE, YOU CAN'T IGNORE IT; IF YOUR FAITH IS LIKE A MUSTARD SEED, IT NAGS YOU; YOU KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO AND WHAT TO AVOID; AND YOU KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS FOR YOU. AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND TO WANT WHAT GOD WANTS FOR YOU. AND YOU CAN BE A SAINT, IF YOU WANT TO.
JESUS GOES FURTHER. NOT ONLY DOES HE MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE CAN BECOME SAINTS IF WE WANT TO – BUT WE ARE NOT TO TAKE CREDIT FOR ANYTHING WE DO WHICH IS GOOD, WHICH MIGHT LOOK EXTRAORDINARY TO THE WORLD. BECAUSE IF IT IS TRUE THAT GOD WANTS US TO BE SAINTS, AND IF WE WANT TO BE SAINTS, AND AS A RESULT DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS IN THE WORLD, IT IS REALLY GOD WORKING THROUGH US. IF WE MANAGE TO BECOME SAINTS, THAT IS OUR HUMAN DESTINY; THAT IS REALLY NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT. WHAT IS REALLY EXTRAORDINARY, WHAT WE SHOULD REALLY TAKE NOTICE OF, IS WHEN WE DON'T BECOME SAINTS. THAT MEANS THAT WE'VE CHOSEN TO FIGHT GOD'S GRACE, AND HOW CAN THAT POSSIBLY MAKE SENSE? IN FACT, I THINK JESUS TELLS US THE PARABLE ABOUT THE SERVANTS SO THAT WE CAN EXAMINE OURSELVES – IF WE HAVE ANY TENDENCY TO FEEL THAT WHAT WE DO OR SAY, OR PRAY, BRINGS US CLOSER TO GOD, OR MAKES US SUPERIOR TO OUR FELLOW MAN, WE ARE ON THE WRONG TRACK.
I THINK ANOTHER POINT TO MAKE IS THAT THE APOSTLES THOUGHT THAT IF THEY HAD MORE FAITH, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ANY DOUBTS, AND ONCE THE DOUBTS WERE GONE, THEY COULD DO ANYTHING. BUT JESUS SEEMS TO BE SAYING THAT IT'S NOT LIKE THAT. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE DOUBT; IF YOU ARE A THINKING HUMAN BEING, YOU CAN'T BE IN A STATE OF ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY IN THIS LIFE ABOUT GOD, ABOUT THE CHURCH, ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH. IF YOU WERE, IT WOULDN'T BE FAITH. SO THAT'S ANOTHER THING; AUTHENTIC FAITH IS NOT THE SAME THING AS CERTAINTY. AT THE ROOT, AUTHENTIC FAITH IS A DECISION TO LIVE IN A WAY THAT PRESUPPOSES THAT WHAT WE BELIEVE IS TRUE. EVEN MOTHER THERESA LIVED WITH DOUBT.
SO TO SUM UP: EVERY ONE OF US HAS ENOUGH FAITH TO BECOME A SAINT. THAT'S WHAT GOD WANTS, AND IF THAT'S WHAT WE WANT, THEN NOTHING STANDS IN OUR WAY. FAITH NAGS US LIKE THE TASTE OF A MUSTARD SEED; WE CAN'T IGNORE IT. FAITH ALWAYS EXISTS WITH DOUBT, BY DEFINITION. AND IF WE BELIEVE THAT ANY PART OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD MAKES US BETTER THAN OUR FELLOW MAN, OR IN FACT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH OUR GOODNESS OR INTELLIGENCE OR FAITHFULNESS, WE ARE SORELY MISTAKEN. AS SAINT PAUL SAYS, EVERYTHING THAT IS GOOD COMES FROM GOD.
SO THIS WEEK WE ASK OURSELVES, DO WE HAVE THE FAITH AS BIG AS A MUSTARD SEED? ARE WE SERVANTS WHO ARE DOING WHAT WE ARE EXPECTED TO DO? OR ARE WE FIGHTING WHAT GOD WANTS FOR YOU AND I?