If you have faith the size of a mustard seed
Listening to the Spirit
Lord, I believe:
I wish to believe in Thee.
Lord, let my faith be full and unreserved,
and let it penetrate my thought,
my way of judging Divine things and human things.
Lord, let my faith be joyful
and give peace and gladness to my spirit,
and dispose it for prayer with God
and conversation with men,
so that the inner bliss of its fortunate possession
may shine forth in sacred and secular conversation.
Lord, let my faith be humble and not presume
to be based on the experience of my thought and of my feeling;
but let it surrender to the testimony of the Holy Spirit,
and not have any better guarantee than in docility to Tradition
and to the authority of the magisterium of the Holy Church.
Amen.
Listening to the Word
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, ‘Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
“Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”
Reflection
“The fields were scorched and cracked by the lack of rain. The pale, yellowed leaves hung painfully from the branches. The grass had disappeared from the meadows. People were tense and nervous as they scanned the cobalt blue crystal sky. The weeks followed each other more and more on fire. For months no real rain had fallen. The parish priest of the town organized a special hour of prayers in the square in front of the church to implore the grace of rain. At the appointed time, the square was crowded with anxious people but full of hope. Many had brought objects that testified to their faith. The parish priest was looking at the Bibles, the crosses, the rosaries. But he couldn't take his eyes off a child sitting in the front row. On his knees, he had a red umbrella. To pray is to ask for rain, but to believe is to bring an umbrella.
This story tells us about FAITH… a big faith, as big as the “size of a mustard seed,” big enough to be sure that his/her request would have been granted in a short time. Therefore, in that important gathering of prayer for the whole community, she/he brought the umbrella because she/he was sure that God would have not delayed answering the cry of His people. Thinking about my life, because of the gift of faith from God, I was able to leave my family, my parents and my brother, my friends and my country. I could have served Him in my country, sharing there the faith, serving the needy and the poor. But God was calling me to something bigger. Only the faith could support me in this audacious choice. Because of faith, I knew that together with so many difficulties, God would have accompanied me on my new journey. I did not know if I could be able to face all the challenges, but the faith was assuring me that God would have done everything in order to fulfill his plan.
If I could not have enough faith to trust God’s calling, most probably I would have continued praying like those people bringing their bibles, crosses, and rosaries, but not really believing that He would have sent the rain. I brought my umbrella and I believed that God would have fulfilled his promise.
What about you? How is your faith? Are you still worry about your life and the events that are happening, or in your heart there is already the certainty that SOON God will fulfill your desire?
“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."
Reflection Questions
Gospel Reflections
Allowing Jesus to Change Us
Who Is Jesus for Me? From Encounter to Mission
