Fr. Vincent Munari sx
TWENTY-SEVEN SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Tractors, bulldozers, excavators, simple pickaxes? No, according to this Sunday’s Gospel you need faith the size of a mustard seed (very small). The Apostles ask: “Increase our faith” (Lc. 17,5). Yes, faith is necessary for the Apostle (the one who is sent): faith is the personal experience of the Father’s mercy and origin of the mission to the brothers and sisters because the Apostles are urged by the necessity to bring God the Father’s message to the ends of the earth.
This “increase our faith” should be a normal prayer for all of us because we all are called to be apostles in this world and in the situations in which we live. October, the month dedicated to the missions, should be a reminder of the importance of our faith for progress in the Kingdom of God among us.
With faith we obtain everything needed for the Mission because “all is possible to those who believe (cf. Mc. 9, 23)”. In fact we are connected with God and we know that nothing is impossible to God (Lc.1, 37).
At this point we can begin to understand how something impossible can become possible; the uprooting of a big tree through faith is only an example. Let nobody use his faith to clear forests: there is dire need of them for the climate equilibrium of the world; nor I wish to see a big tree cross the road where I am driving.
But there are bad trees inside us that produce rotten fruits (cf Lc. 6, 43); and they have big roots deep inside. This is what has to be eradicated trough faith. It is a necessary purification and only after such purification the Apostle may be sent.
Today’s Gospel, besides stressing the necessity of faith, contains a consideration about the Apostle’s work, his being servant. Those who are chosen to consecrate themselves to God and to his project for humanity (his kingdom), cannot think they will make profit from their activity. The servant is plowing, that is preparing the ground for the seeds, or mending ship; these are the 2 main activities of those sent: the Apostles have to spread the word of God like seeds to the ends of the earth and behave as good shepherds of the flock of the believers. These works do not give us any right such as a salary. We are unprofitable servants as the African Bible rightly translates (Cf Lc. 17,10).
We all must feel involved in the missionary activity as unprofitable servants. We have to serve the Kingdom remembering that Jesus our Master in fact served the Apostles even to the point of washing their feet and now continues to serve us through his Word, washing our sins, preparing the Eucharistic banquet … And he says to us: “I gave an example, for you to do what I did” (Cf John 13, 15).
TWENTY-SEVEN SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Tractors, bulldozers, excavators, simple pickaxes? No, according to this Sunday’s Gospel you need faith the size of a mustard seed (very small). The Apostles ask: “Increase our faith” (Lc. 17,5). Yes, faith is necessary for the Apostle (the one who is sent): faith is the personal experience of the Father’s mercy and origin of the mission to the brothers and sisters because the Apostles are urged by the necessity to bring God the Father’s message to the ends of the earth.
This “increase our faith” should be a normal prayer for all of us because we all are called to be apostles in this world and in the situations in which we live. October, the month dedicated to the missions, should be a reminder of the importance of our faith for progress in the Kingdom of God among us.
With faith we obtain everything needed for the Mission because “all is possible to those who believe (cf. Mc. 9, 23)”. In fact we are connected with God and we know that nothing is impossible to God (Lc.1, 37).
At this point we can begin to understand how something impossible can become possible; the uprooting of a big tree through faith is only an example. Let nobody use his faith to clear forests: there is dire need of them for the climate equilibrium of the world; nor I wish to see a big tree cross the road where I am driving.
But there are bad trees inside us that produce rotten fruits (cf Lc. 6, 43); and they have big roots deep inside. This is what has to be eradicated trough faith. It is a necessary purification and only after such purification the Apostle may be sent.
Today’s Gospel, besides stressing the necessity of faith, contains a consideration about the Apostle’s work, his being servant. Those who are chosen to consecrate themselves to God and to his project for humanity (his kingdom), cannot think they will make profit from their activity. The servant is plowing, that is preparing the ground for the seeds, or mending ship; these are the 2 main activities of those sent: the Apostles have to spread the word of God like seeds to the ends of the earth and behave as good shepherds of the flock of the believers. These works do not give us any right such as a salary. We are unprofitable servants as the African Bible rightly translates (Cf Lc. 17,10).
We all must feel involved in the missionary activity as unprofitable servants. We have to serve the Kingdom remembering that Jesus our Master in fact served the Apostles even to the point of washing their feet and now continues to serve us through his Word, washing our sins, preparing the Eucharistic banquet … And he says to us: “I gave an example, for you to do what I did” (Cf John 13, 15).