“Lord, increase our faith.” This is a prayer that prayed authentically will change our lives. So many times in the gospels Jesus tells people it is your faith that healed you, never have I seen so much faith, your faith has saved you. I like Brene Brown’s definition of faith; “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.” In today’s gospel Jesus tells us that there will always be causes of sin: betrayal, abuse, anger, woundedness, unforgiveness, family history, temptation, selfishness, and pride. He gives us two sure ways to dispel these inevitable conditions: forgiveness and faith.
Faith is the courage to live in mystery and sometimes God’s ways, like perpetual forgiveness and mercy are super difficult to understand or practice. He definitely instructs us today to “rebuke” sin if and when it enters our lives. He uses the image of sin being a millstone wrapped around our necks and it causes us to plunge to the depths of darkness. We become slaves to sin especially when we don’t encourage one another in love to turn away from it. Our addictions, bitterness, anger, negativity, bad habits, judgment, self-loathing, woundedness, etc. become these heavy burdens that keep us down, trip us up, plunge us into darkness, and take our eyes off Jesus. While it is important for us to rebuke sin, it is as important to do so in love and through the eyes of mercy, with the hope for repentance. Public shaming, or gossip, or spreading someone’s sin is not what Jesus intends for us to do when he says rebuke. This only adds weight to the millstone and makes repentance all the more difficult. We should always will the good of the other when we are admonishing sin. And the whole purpose to admonish sin is to give the “sinner” the encouragement to repent and turn away from that sin. “If he repents, forgive him. If he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” I know this sounds almost impossible to do and that is why an increase in faith is absolutely necessary.
Forgiveness is a place of mystery and faith gives us the courage to trust that Jesus is showing us the way to eternal freedom. This uncertainty would be agonizing if we did not have the faith to let go of the fear of the unknown. “Perfect love drives out all fear.” 1 John 4:18 It just hit me that faith, hope, and love are the driving forces of today’s gospel. Faith leads to hope, and love flows from hope, but hope resides in the middle of both. Hope binds the mystery of faith to the testimony of love and together a trinity of grace circles the soul, singing you into wellness, cheering you to thrive, and catching you when you fall. Jesus wants us to be well, to thrive, and to be caught in the arms of mercy. Lord, increase our faith, hope, and love and it is well with my soul.
Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
Lectionary: 491
Reading 1 TI 1:1-9
Paul, a slave of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ
for the sake of the faith of God's chosen ones
and the recognition of religious truth,
in the hope of eternal life
that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,
who indeed at the proper time revealed his word
in the proclamation with which I was entrusted
by the command of God our savior,
to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.
For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done
and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you,
on condition that a man be blameless,
married only once, with believing children
who are not accused of licentiousness or rebellious.
For a bishop as God's steward must be blameless, not arrogant,
not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive,
not greedy for sordid gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness,
temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled,
holding fast to the true message as taught
so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine
and to refute opponents.
for the sake of the faith of God's chosen ones
and the recognition of religious truth,
in the hope of eternal life
that God, who does not lie, promised before time began,
who indeed at the proper time revealed his word
in the proclamation with which I was entrusted
by the command of God our savior,
to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.
For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done
and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you,
on condition that a man be blameless,
married only once, with believing children
who are not accused of licentiousness or rebellious.
For a bishop as God's steward must be blameless, not arrogant,
not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive,
not greedy for sordid gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness,
temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled,
holding fast to the true message as taught
so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine
and to refute opponents.
Responsorial Psalm PS 24:1B-2, 3-4AB, 5-6
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Alleluia PHIL 2:15D, 16A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 17:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples,
"Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea
than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day
and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,'
you should forgive him."
And 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."
"Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea
than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day
and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,'
you should forgive him."
And 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."
No comments:
Post a Comment