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.
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.'"
Theme for reflection: Faith
The
great marvel called faith and what it can accomplish is astonishing and that is
what Jesus seems to remind us with an example:
"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.
(Lk. 17:6)
In the gospel of
Matthew it is a similar rendition of the same truth, but here Jesus is much
more explicit and assertive in what may seem like an exaggeration:
For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as
a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to
there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." (Matt 17:20)
Christians throughout history and even in our times have
accomplished mighty things through faith in Jesus Christ.
But, among all these
accomplishments, who has moved a mountain or a mulberry tree?
We have no report about this particular miracle of
faith and yet there are countless miracles of faith reported all throughout
Biblical and Christian history, miracles that concerns humans and leads one to
faith. It is an indication of the purpose of faith’s action and what it is
supposed to accomplish.
God indeed is the one of who can accomplish the impossible,
making possible even in our day, what humanly cannot be accomplished with its own brand of faith.
Jesus teaches us that the basic qualification required is
faith?
Is there anything new in Jesus’ teaching on faith and the
power to accomplish many things?
There are many who may qualify Jesus teaching on faith,
even those who may not believe in Jesus may vouch for the need to have faith to
accomplish mighty things, if not the impossible.
Yet what the others teach about faith and what Jesus teaches
are two different things; both may talk about the need to have faith and yet
are totally divergent in their viewpoint about the quality of faith.
What is important to note is that one is a dangerous
proposition and the other is nectar for the human soul.
One leads to hell while the other leads to life, even fullness of life leading to eternity. (cfr. Jn.
10:10)
When Jesus calls us to accomplish things in faith, he is
calling his dedicated disciples to have faith in God and have the faith of God
as manifested in his Son Jesus and thus
accomplish the work of God.
Whereas what others teach is to put ones faith in the self,
which may accomplish many things through sheer determination and will
power, maybe even good things by human standards but abominable in the sight of God.
Jesus’ teaching is meant for the insignificant and poor in
spirit, who walk in the simplicity of life fully aware that faith in self and
faith in the intellectual gurus of this world cannot ultimately accomplish the
work of God in this world and will definitely lead to eternal damnation. They apparently may seem good but in reality
are the seeds that sow godlessness and evil.
This work of faith is not just about moving the many
mountains through human action, it is also about bearing the hardship that
accompanies one, as in the second reading, when they participate in the gospel of faith.
(2 Tim. 2: 8)
This faith even means that if God delays his saving action,
as in the first reading, then one should not lose hope but to persevere: 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. (Hab. 2:3b-4)
Some additional scripture verses for
reflection and use:
Though
the fig tree do not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive
fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there
be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he
makes my feet like hinds' feet, he makes me tread upon my high places. Hab 3:17-19
Jesus
Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to
bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the
nations, 6 including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus
Christ. Rom 1:4-6
That
is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be
guaranteed to all his descendants - not only to the adherents of the law but
also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all, 17 as it is
written, "I have made you the father of many nations" - in the
presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls
into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope
he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations; as
he had been told, "So shall your descendants be." 19 He did
not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead
because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness
of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God,
but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully
convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is
why his faith was "reckoned to him as righteousness." 23 But the
words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone,
24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in
him that raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was
put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Rom 4:16-25
Hebrews 11:1 – 12:2
Count
it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you
know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let
steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
This
is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. 5 Who is it
that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5
Blessed
is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive
the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
DD = Dedicated
Discipleship: Come grow
in the Lord with us
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