Reading I: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4
Reading II: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14
GOSPEL: Luke 17:5-10
Got Faith?
It’s easy enough to talk about it. In fact, it pops up in some form almost every Sunday. But how do you know if you truly have it? How do you know you have enough of it? How would you answer if someone asked you the question, “Got faith?”
Everyday Trials
We are faced with discouraging situations almost every day. Classes are boring or too difficult (or both). Friends are ghosting us. Extracurriculars are burning us out. For adults, the commute is horrible and the job is disheartening. The bills are too high and the wage is too low. The kids are fighting, the spouse is angry, and on Sunday morning, you just want to stay in bed.
Some folks have more serious issues to face, such as life-threatening accidents or illnesses, relationships broken beyond repair, or true depression that cannot be overcome by positive thinking or changes in lifestyle. And there are any number of other things that may seem too overwhelming.
If we stop to look at the tragedies taking place around the world, we can easily feel like simply giving up. But what if just a little faith could make all the difference?
A Little Goes a Long Way
In the first reading, Habakkuk is losing faith. He was facing oppression and abuse, feeling overwhelmed, and crying out to God in frustration. God replies, saying “the vision still has its time… and will not disappoint.” Habakkuk is told that the just person, because of faith, will live.
God doesn’t tell Habakkuk, “The person with the greatest faith will live.” Nor does God say that a person with faith won’t have any troubles. The Lord basically says that, with a little faith and a little patience, things will work out.
In essence, Jesus says the same thing through the parable of the mustard seed. And the irony of his example should not be overlooked, either. According to Jesus, with faith the size of a mustard seed – the smallest of all seeds – we can uproot trees. We don’t need faith that’s bigger than the tree, because a little goes a long way.
Have Faith in Faith
One of the biggest challenges we face as Christians today is the challenge of having faith in the little faith we have. I often feel like my faith is only the size of a mustard seed, and I look upon it as being small and insignificant. How can my little bit of faith make any difference at all in this great big world of ours?
Yet, according to Jesus, my little bit of faith can do amazing things! My mustard seed-sized faith can make a difference if I let it. If I truly believe the words of our Lord and Savior, then I’ll trust in my little bit o’ faith and when someone asks, “Got faith?” I’ll give them a confident “yes!” And then I’ll go out and do some amazing things to help share the Gospel with a world that truly needs it.
Life Applications:
What trials do you face that make you question your faith?
How do you continue to have faith in the face of adversity?
Got faith?
Check out the REAL Word Podcast for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C):
Original article by Brandon Jubar, 2004-2022.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.