Homily – 27^th Sunday, Year C

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

"The just one, because of his faith, shall live." These were the words of the Prophet Habakkuk in our first reading. In the second reading, Saint Paul, writing to Timothy, says, "Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." It would seem that faith is a pretty important factor in our lives. Rightly so, then, do the Apostles say to our Lord, "Increase our faith." But why were they making this request? What had Jesus said or done to make them realize there was something lacking in their faith?

For some reason, the editors of our Lectionary did not include the first four verses from this chapter in Luke, and these are the words of our Lord which prompted the disciples’ request for faith. So, I’d like to read these verses to you – they’ll help us to understand the rest of the Gospel passage:

He said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person 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."

There’s some strong warnings here! How vitally important it is to be forgiving and loving, and never to cause anyone to sin. It’s no wonder the disciples asked the Lord to increase their faith: at this moment they realized how weak they were – how far short they fell of being obedient to God’s commands. "Lord, are you saying it would be better to die than to cause someone to sin? And, if someone wrongs me seven times a day and says he’s sorry seven times a day I should forgive him every time? How can I believe this? How can I practice this? Lord! Increase my faith!"

Our Lord’s answer is very interesting and very consoling: You have enough faith already, he seems to say. Just a tiny bit can accomplish something you’d think is impossible. Practice the faith that you have; obey the Lord’s commands, and you’ll find that he’ll give you all the faith you need. That’s the message contained in the little parable he tells concerning the servant who comes in from the field to wait on his master. We’re the servants of God, you and I, and it wouldn’t be right for us to expect our reward before completing our job here on earth. "Do all that you have been commanded," Jesus tells us, and you will be given all that you need in this life, and in the next, eternal rest and happiness.

So this is how Jesus answers his disciples’ request for an increase in faith. But, for a moment, let’s make this request our own and see where our meditations might lead us.

Now, when we speak of "faith" we are speaking of "belief," though we do so in two distinct but related ways. The first way is belief about God and about his Church. When we ask God to increase our faith in this respect, we are asking him to increase our knowledge and understanding of Christian doctrine: the teachings of our Church. This is what we mean when we talk about the Faith: our understanding of what God has revealed concerning himself and his holy will.

But we also speak of belief in God: and this is the second way in which we understand faith. It is faith as trust: placing our trust in God and having complete confidence in what he has promised: resting in him and in his Word. When we ask for an increase in this kind of faith, it’s because we recognize fear and doubt in our hearts; we realize that we need to hand the reins over to God and stop trying to control things ourselves.

When we ask for an increase in faith, I think we can rightly say that we’re asking for both these things. It’s interesting, however, that, in response to this request, our Lord talks about obedience to his commands. What does obedience have to do with our doctrinal beliefs or our trust in God? Everything, really.

You see, it’s easy to stop obeying God’s commands once we’ve stopped believing in him. This might seem obvious, but it happens in gradual, almost imperceptible stages. For example, our Faith teaches us that Jesus really becomes present in the Mass, that the sacrifice of Calvary is re-presented, that the bread and wine are really changed into the Body and Blood of Christ. But if you no longer believe this, why bother obeying God’s command to attend Mass every Sunday? Here’s another example: if you no longer believe that human life is truly sacred and that every marriage act must be open to the transmission of life, then why not practice contraception? Why not use and advocate abortion? Why not vote for political candidates who support so-called "abortion rights" (as if anyone had the right to take an innocent human life)?

Do you understand now how faith and obedience are closely connected? But this connection works in the other direction as well. There are many in our world today who no longer obey God because they’ve decided that his laws are too difficult, too demanding, too constricting of their freedom. But once you have stopped following God’s law, how can you believe in the teachings of his Church? And how can you place your trust in a God you no longer obey?

This Lord’s Day has been designated Respect Life Sunday. Today we’re reminded that we must honor every human life as a sacred gift from God—especially those lives which are most vulnerable and which have no voice to defend themselves: the little children, born and unborn. As we think about passing on the faith to this next generation, we remember that the gift of faith entails a call to obedience. Faithfully following the Lord’s commands, and teaching our children to do the same, will bring us real happiness and peace as we place our trust in Jesus. "Lord, increase our faith!" Let’s ask the Lord to give us this favor. But let’s not forget the response he gave his disciples: Obey my commands and you will be given all the faith you need.

© 2004, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor

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