Luke 17:5-10

Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14

Luke 17:5-10

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.’”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to trust more fully in your power and providential care. With you, your Son, and your Spirit, I can do all things. Empower me with your grace, guide me with the gift of faith, strengthen me with the gift of hope, and enkindle my heart with the gift of your charity.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Mustard Seed Faith: In the Gospel of Luke, the apostles are reacting to Jesus’ teaching that we are to forgive a person who offends us and sins against us seven times in one day, and we are to forgive them “seven times.” Seven is a symbolic number: “In Hebrew culture, the number seven was not merely a quantitative value. The number seven was a covenant number. In other words, to ‘seven’ oneself meant to give oneself to another entirely. This concept reaches all the way back to the Creation story, when God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. In other words, the seventh day implied God’s covenant gift of himself to all creation. The number seven, therefore, represented completion and totality. When Jesus commands his disciples to forgive seven times, it implies more than a mere checklist. What Jesus is saying is that we must forgive completely!” (Powell, Walking with Christ, 97). The apostles find this saying hard, especially because they are going to exercise leadership roles in the Church. That is why they ask for an increase in faith. Jesus responds that even a little faith – faith the size of a mustard seed – is powerful and can do the seemingly impossible. Jesus follows this up with a parable and asks the apostles to think of themselves as a master who has servants ready to wait on him at table. But, in the last line, Jesus switches roles and teaches his apostles that even though they exercise authority in the Kingdom of God, they are to consider themselves as servants, who only did what God commanded them.

2. The Just One, Because of His Faith, Shall Live: The First Reading, taken from the prophet Habakkuk, was chosen to complement the Gospel’s message about faith. Paul refers to this verse about the righteous living by faith as foundational in his understanding of justification. We are not justified or made righteous because we do the works of the Mosaic Law. We are justified through faith in Jesus Christ. What Habakkuk taught was the need for people to trust in the Lord even when they saw the enemy armies advancing on the city of Jerusalem. “The righteous one will survive the judgment that is coming upon Judah. Even in the midst of national judgment, the Lord will mercifully protect the righteous remnant from perishing. Paul cites this passage in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11, where faith in the gospel is the means by which one is justified in Christ, saved from judgment, and made an heir of eternal life. A fuller citation of the passage appears in Hebrews 10:37-38, which urges believers to persevere in faith without shrinking back in fear or doubt before Christ comes again to judge the world” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1581).

3. Stir into Flame the Gift of God: During the next four Sundays, the Second Reading will be taken from Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. Paul opens his letter by inviting Timothy, who has been sent by Paul to minister in Ephesus, to “stir into flame the gift of God” that Timothy received through his priestly ordination. “Zeal is required to stir up the gift of God, for it lies within our power to kindle or quench this grace. By laziness and carelessness it is extinguished, and by attentiveness and diligence it is kept aflame (John Chrysostom, Homilies on 2 Timothy, 1). Timothy is to take the sound words of Paul as his norm. This does not mean only repeating what Paul said, but using his judgment to apply Paul’s words to new situations. “This is a magnificent image for a dynamic tradition. The same dynamic is at work in Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels. Jesus did not tell his disciples to parrot his words without concern for changing circumstances. His disciples were to convey his message as a seed meant to grow and bear fruit in whatever soil it was planted (Mark 4:14-20), bringing greater understanding and development” (Montague, First and Second Timothy, Titus, 151).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as I celebrate the Day of your Resurrection, help me to set aside time for rest, for worship, for family, and for service. Do not let me be indifferent on this holy day to the needs of my brothers and sisters.

Living the Word of God: Can I thank God today for the gifts I have received? Especially, the gifts of faith, hope, and charity? Can I also take some time to contemplate the sacramental graces I have received?