Fr Christophe Ndiwe Chiza, sx
REFLECTION ON THE READINGS OF THE TWEENTY-SEVEN SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C.
GOSPEL LUKE 17, 5-10
Through the text of this Sunday’s liturgy, the disciples are aware that their faith is not big enough in order to live out the evangelical values and qualities. Our faith in God must impact on our relationship with each other. We are living in the world full of conflicts, tensions, violence between people and wars among nations. This situation shows us how our faith in God is not yet made concrete. Therefore “Increase our faith” is a prayer request which remains significant at all times.
“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 will obey you.” The comparison used by Jesus is full of meaning. Jesus demonstrates how faith can make possible what is impossible. Faith can repair a broken relationship and heal a wound of despair, of malice or of gossip. Now days, many people are fearful and lacking in hope and faith, and this may appear to be justified. However, we have so many reasons to keep alive our hope and to strengthen our faith.
Faith gives life. Therefore, the prophet Habakkuk in the first reading says: “……the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” Faith is a precious gift which must be kept with much care. Let us value our Christian faith and be proud of it. Without faith, we will found ourselves in a dark world and we are going to fall back from nothing to nothing. It is our faith which gives us the firm conviction that in spite of tensions, of divisions, of calamities and conflicts in the world, our life will not end in emptiness. Faith has the power to open the dark door of our present and future life. Therefore, “Increase our faith” is a powerful and meaningful prayer. Faith must become the remote control of our life which helps us to shift our sight from what is wrong to what it is right , from a negative thought to a positive thought.
In the contemporary world, it is very challenging to proclaim a message based on Christian faith. “Increase our faith”, is a prayer request made by the apostles to Jesus but which remains relevant even in our 21st century characterizes by scientific progress which seems to lose sight of the value of Christian faith. Through the philosophical approach of “positivism”, le philosopher Auguste Comte (1789-1857) argued that the world will never believe anymore but it will know.
The Christian faith is being conquered by the human raison and innovation. What is important is not to go the church on Sundays or to attend a prayer group meeting; rather it is making friends, enjoying oneself and looking for money or for a daily bread. Faith seems to be obsolete without any interest. From this situation, we have as the apostles to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to increase our faith.
Without faith there is no hope and without hope there is no future. In order to build a better world and better future, we are called to be a people of faith. The fullness of faith is required in order to be confident of the presence of God in our life and in the World. Faith must be the driving force of our encounter with Jesus as individual or as community. It is through our faith that we will be able to deny and to be detached from our own selves.
Our Faith helps us to break the wall of division between the master and the slave, between the rich and the poor. Some people think that they are born in order to be served and to command. In matter of faith there is no Very Important Person (V.I.P). We are all brothers and sisters; and we are called to help each other.
“When you have done all you have been commanded, say “We are useless servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” In doing what we are called to do we must not do it in order to merit support, approval, promotion or praise; let us do what we are called to do out of love with a spirit of sacrifice and gratuitousness. It is in the attitude of service that Jesus accomplished his mission in this world. “… The Son of Man has come not to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many.” Mt 20, 28.
May our Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ increase our faith and help us to dedicate our life to service our brothers and sisters.
Fr CHRISTOPHE NDIWE CHIZA, SX
REFLECTION ON THE READINGS OF THE TWEENTY-SEVEN SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C.
GOSPEL LUKE 17, 5-10
Through the text of this Sunday’s liturgy, the disciples are aware that their faith is not big enough in order to live out the evangelical values and qualities. Our faith in God must impact on our relationship with each other. We are living in the world full of conflicts, tensions, violence between people and wars among nations. This situation shows us how our faith in God is not yet made concrete. Therefore “Increase our faith” is a prayer request which remains significant at all times.
“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 will obey you.” The comparison used by Jesus is full of meaning. Jesus demonstrates how faith can make possible what is impossible. Faith can repair a broken relationship and heal a wound of despair, of malice or of gossip. Now days, many people are fearful and lacking in hope and faith, and this may appear to be justified. However, we have so many reasons to keep alive our hope and to strengthen our faith.
Faith gives life. Therefore, the prophet Habakkuk in the first reading says: “……the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” Faith is a precious gift which must be kept with much care. Let us value our Christian faith and be proud of it. Without faith, we will found ourselves in a dark world and we are going to fall back from nothing to nothing. It is our faith which gives us the firm conviction that in spite of tensions, of divisions, of calamities and conflicts in the world, our life will not end in emptiness. Faith has the power to open the dark door of our present and future life. Therefore, “Increase our faith” is a powerful and meaningful prayer. Faith must become the remote control of our life which helps us to shift our sight from what is wrong to what it is right , from a negative thought to a positive thought.
In the contemporary world, it is very challenging to proclaim a message based on Christian faith. “Increase our faith”, is a prayer request made by the apostles to Jesus but which remains relevant even in our 21st century characterizes by scientific progress which seems to lose sight of the value of Christian faith. Through the philosophical approach of “positivism”, le philosopher Auguste Comte (1789-1857) argued that the world will never believe anymore but it will know.
The Christian faith is being conquered by the human raison and innovation. What is important is not to go the church on Sundays or to attend a prayer group meeting; rather it is making friends, enjoying oneself and looking for money or for a daily bread. Faith seems to be obsolete without any interest. From this situation, we have as the apostles to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to increase our faith.
Without faith there is no hope and without hope there is no future. In order to build a better world and better future, we are called to be a people of faith. The fullness of faith is required in order to be confident of the presence of God in our life and in the World. Faith must be the driving force of our encounter with Jesus as individual or as community. It is through our faith that we will be able to deny and to be detached from our own selves.
Our Faith helps us to break the wall of division between the master and the slave, between the rich and the poor. Some people think that they are born in order to be served and to command. In matter of faith there is no Very Important Person (V.I.P). We are all brothers and sisters; and we are called to help each other.
“When you have done all you have been commanded, say “We are useless servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” In doing what we are called to do we must not do it in order to merit support, approval, promotion or praise; let us do what we are called to do out of love with a spirit of sacrifice and gratuitousness. It is in the attitude of service that Jesus accomplished his mission in this world. “… The Son of Man has come not to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many.” Mt 20, 28.
May our Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ increase our faith and help us to dedicate our life to service our brothers and sisters.
Fr CHRISTOPHE NDIWE CHIZA, SX