First Reading: (Habakkuk 1:12–2:1–4)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 9)
Response:
You will not forsake those who seek you, O Lord.
Gospel: (Matthew 17:14–20)
Reflection:
The Gospel today is all about when Jesus tells us that faith can move mountains, He is not speaking primarily about a physical mountain.
The mountain is a metaphor.
It represents the obstacles that stand in our way-the difficulties, struggles, disappointments, fears, and seemingly impossible situations that confront us on our journey through life.
And Jesus tells us that with faith, we can overcome.
We can surpass.
We can surmount the challenges that stand before us.
But what exactly is faith?
How much faith do we need?
And how does faith make seemingly impossible things possible?
The Disciples' Failure
In today's Gospel, the disciples find themselves in a difficult situation.
A possessed boy is brought to them for healing, but they are unable to help him.
They try, but they cannot cast out the demon.
They are helpless.
Fortunately, Jesus intervenes.
After Jesus heals the boy, the disciples approach him privately and ask:
“Why could we not cast it out?”
Jesus gives them a direct answer:
“Because of your little faith.”
Then he tells them that even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.
This should make us stop and reflect.
Could it be that some of the things we have been unable to accomplish are connected to our lack of faith?
Could fear, doubt, impatience, and our tendency to rely entirely upon ourselves be preventing us from trusting God fully?
Faith is belief in God.
But faith also gives us the confidence to believe that, with God's help, we are capable of facing what lies before us.
Sometimes we hear someone say:
“I have faith in you.”
In Pidgin English, we might say:
“I get you faith.”
It means:
I believe in you. I believe you can do it. I don't doubt you.
Faith gives us that push.
Faith gives us strength.
Faith gives us a positive disposition when circumstances tell us to give up.
When we face a challenge, we are called to believe in God and to believe that, with his help, we can continue moving forward.
We must learn to see beyond the obstacle.
We must see the possibility.
And we must keep pushing.
Faith does not mean that we rely solely upon ourselves.
Rather, faith means trusting in the God who works through us.
God can accomplish infinitely more than we can think or imagine.
Sometimes faith means simply hanging on to that little lifeline when everything around us seems to be telling us to let go.
That is where perseverance begins.
If faith gives us the strength to continue, what causes us to lose it?
There are several things.
Fear
Fear can destroy faith.
We become afraid of failure.
We look at the difficulties before us and begin thinking about how limited we are.
We forget the power of God and focus entirely on our own weakness.
And when we think everything depends upon our own strength, fear takes over.
But faith reminds us:
I am not alone.
God is with me.
Another thing that destroys faith is our obsession with timing.
We begin counting the months and years.
“I have prayed for six months.”
“I have prayed for two years.”
“I have been waiting for four years.”
And because the answer has not yet arrived according to our schedule, we conclude that God has forgotten us.
But beloved, God's timing is not our timing.
We cannot reduce God's plan to our human calendar.
The fact that something has not happened yet does not necessarily mean that God has abandoned us.
Sometimes faith means continuing to wait.
Continuing to pray.
Continuing to trust.
Continuing to believe.
The come doubt and it can slowly weaken our faith.
We may begin with confidence, but then the questions enter our minds:
“Will it really happen?”
“Is this even possible?”
“Maybe I should give up.”
Doubt can become so powerful that it makes us abandon what we once believed was possible.
Faith does not mean that we never have questions.
It means that our questions do not become greater than our trust in God.
Comparing Our Lives With Others
Another dangerous enemy of faith is comparison.
We see someone whose situation resembles ours and say:
“They went through the same thing, but theirs was resolved in two months. Why has mine taken so long?”
But your life is not their life.
Your journey is not their journey.
And even when two people experience similar circumstances, God may choose to act differently in each person's life.
So do not compare notes with God.
Leave God to be God.
Comparison can make us believe that God is late simply because he did not follow someone else's timetable.
Trusting Ourselves More Than God
Sometimes our greatest obstacle is ourselves.
We believe everything depends upon our own strength.
Then we encounter something bigger than our abilities, and suddenly we become discouraged.
The disciples experienced something similar.
When they encountered resistance, they discovered that their own strength was insufficient.
The lesson is not that human effort is unnecessary.
Quite the opposite.
God expects us to act.
But our human effort must be joined with trust in God.
We must work-but we must also surrender.
We must strive-but we must also trust.
Abraham: Faith That Waits
Consider Abraham.
According to human calculations, Abraham had every reason to give up.
The promise seemed to be taking too long.
Human reasoning could have told him:
“This is impossible.”
But Abraham continued to believe.
He continued to trust.
He continued to wait.
His story reminds us that God's promises do not always unfold according to our timetable.
Sometimes faith is not about seeing the answer immediately.
Sometimes faith is simply refusing to give up while waiting for the answer.
Mary: Faith That Surrenders
Then look at our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary.
From a purely human perspective, what was announced to her seemed impossible.
How could a virgin conceive?
Yet Mary's response was one of surrender:
“I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your will.”
Mary did not have every detail explained to her.
She did not know exactly how everything would unfold.
But she trusted.
She surrendered.
She believed.
That is faith.
Whatever Your Mountain Is Today
Perhaps your mountain is sickness.
Perhaps it is a family problem.
Perhaps you are looking for employment.
Perhaps you are struggling financially.
Perhaps you are carrying a burden that nobody else knows about.
Perhaps you have prayed for something for years and still have not seen the answer.
Whatever your mountain may be, today's Gospel gives you a simple message:
Do not give up.
Jesus speaks of faith as small as a mustard seed.
The point is not that you need enormous faith.
Even a small faith, when placed in God, can give you the strength to continue.
Faith gives you the disposition to:
Keep praying.
Keep believing.
Keep working.
Keep trusting.
Keep persevering.
Keep waiting.
Keep moving forward.
Your story is not finished.
God is still writing it.
Wait for the Vision
The first reading from Habakkuk gives us another important lesson.
There is a vision.
And the message is essentially:
Wait for it.
The vision may take time.
But that does not mean it has failed.
This is where patience becomes essential.
We often ask:
“How long must I wait?”
One year.
Two years.
Three years.
Four years.
But faith says:
Keep waiting.
Not because we know exactly when the answer will come, but because we trust the One who holds our future.
God's Time Is Not Our Time
This may be one of the hardest lessons in the spiritual life.
We want answers now.
We want healing now.
We want employment now.
We want the relationship restored now.
We want the financial breakthrough now.
We want the door to open now.
But God does not operate according to our timetable.
That does not mean we become passive.
We pray.
We work.
We seek opportunities.
We make responsible decisions.
We do what is within our power.
But after doing our part, we must learn to surrender the outcome to God.
Faith is trusting God while continuing to do your part.
Faith is not merely something we keep inside ourselves.
Faith should produce action.
Faith should produce courage.
Faith should produce service.
Faith should move us to proclaim the truth and live the Gospel.
A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus,
give me faith.
Give me faith when I am afraid.
Give me faith when I am tired.
Give me faith when the answer seems delayed.
Give me faith when I look at my circumstances and see only obstacles.
Give me faith when I compare my life with others.
Give me faith when doubt begins to take over.
Help me to trust you more than I trust my own calculations.
Teach me to work diligently while surrendering the outcome to you.
When I cannot see the road ahead, help me to trust the One who can.
When I feel like giving up, remind me that my story is not yet finished.
Give me the patience to wait for your time.
Give me the courage to keep moving.
Give me the humility to surrender.
And give me faith, even if it is only as small as a mustard seed.
May that faith help me overcome the mountains before me.
Through the intercession of Saint Dominic, help me to remain faithful, courageous, patient, and trusting.
Amen.
Faith is all that is needed to surmount the challenges of life.
Pray.
Work.
Persevere.
Wait.
Trust.
And keep believing.
May we Keep the faith. Keep praying. Keep going.
Amen
Nice one, Ronnie. God bless you.
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