October 3, 2010

27th Sunday Cycle C

Hebrews 1:2-3,2:2-4; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9; 2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14; Luke 17:5-10

"Jesus, increase our faith", the disciples begged.

Jesus responds to them by saying, "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 see, you may know, is an extremely small seed - about the size of the head of a pin.

So Jesus is saying that we only need to have a very small amount of faith to be able to command a tree to tear itself up and replant itself in the sea.

Simple lesson, right?

Well, the trouble is - and here I can only speak for myself, but I have a hunch about the rest of you as well - I have never uprooted a mulberry tree on command.

Actually, I have never caused anything to be uprooted on command.

 Have you?

And in fact, I don't really believe that I have this ability tucked away somewhere in an unused corner of my brain.

I don't believe that I will ever be able to make a mulberry tree, or anything else, act in such a way.

I just don't see it happening.

But the problem is that my apparent inability to perform such awesome, moving tasks seems to lead to only a couple possible conclusions:

Either 1) Jesus was talking crazy talk, and didn't mean or didn't know what he was saying. Or 2) I don't have even faith the size of a mustard seed.

 

Again, some problems.

Jesus always knows what he's talking about, even when we find it hard to hear or do what he is teaching.

So we can scratch that choice.

Can it be that I don't have faith even the size of a mustard seed?

 Now, I don't want to say my faith is so great, or so deep, or so profound.

 But I think I can say with some boldness and sureness that my faith may even be pumpkin seed size!

So....back to square one it seems.

Maybe, just maybe, Jesus was trying to get us to understand something that we're reluctant to believe:

We already have been equipped, been gifted, with everything we need to follow Jesus, change our lives, and change the world.

Jesus says to us, "your faith is already big enough.

You already have all the faith you need to do whatever you want - to uproot trees, yes, but more importantly, to change lives.

If you aren't doing something because you don't think your faith is great enough, you're probably just making excuses."

 

Do you have faith?

Any faith?

Do you have any relationship with God?

Why are you here, again, this morning?

 If you have any faith at all, you are blessed and challenge.

You have enough faith to do great things!

And you have enough faith to have no excuse not to do great things!

 

Dorothy Day, who founded The Catholic Worker movement, was and is an inspiration to many for her commitment to helping the poor and living with very little herself so she could give to others.

She was so admired that people often sought her out just to see or touch her. Sometimes she would overhear people saying of her, "she is a saint."

This did not go over well, with her, however.

She would respond, "Don't say that. Don't make it too easy for yourself.

Don't escape this way.

 I know why you are saying, 'she is a saint.'

You say it to convince yourself that you are different from me, that I am different from you.

I am not a saint.

I am like you.

You could easily do what I do.

You don't need any more than you have; get kicking, please." (1)

 

That is Jesus' message to his disciples, and to us: get kicking, please.

Get to work.

You have what you need already, so just get to it.

In fact, in the concluding verses from our reading today, Jesus asks - are we to be thanked for doing what we are commanded?

We are commanded to act in our faith to love God and love neighbors, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, give to the poor.

We shouldn't view living out of our faith optional, but essential, not an elective, but an imperative.

There is no lack of concerns in this world for us to find a place to start making changes as we share and spread God's loving message of grace. e have the faith. Let's put it to use.