Pastor's Corner: Increase our faith

This Sunday, Oct. 2, the readings for our Sunday services are from the book of the Prophet Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 and the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14. The Gospel reading is from Luke 17:5-10. At this point I will wait a few minutes so you can read the Scripture if you choose.

Now that you have read the Scriptures we can begin.

The words that compose the title of this reflection come from the Gospel reading and they are the words the disciples spoke to Jesus after he had told them they had to forgive even if they had been sinned against seven times in a day. Yep, I can understand the request for more faith to help me forgive that way. But the readings remind us of the need for an increase of faith to do more than forgive - much more.

The reading from Habakkuk starts with a plea to God wondering how long before God will answer their prayers. They are a people who are stuck in captivity in a foreign land, and they have begun to lose faith in God and his promise of a messiah. The people are experiencing violence and misery and their cries to God seem to go unheard.

I can't help but think the reading from Habakkuk would apply to our lives today. Have you listened to the news lately? There seems to be a lot of violence pain, suffering and clamorous discord in the world today. I don't know about you, but I am wondering how long this will continue. Perhaps we have to make the same plea that the disciples did in the Gospel, "increase our faith."

I also wonder what an increase in faith will accomplish. Will an increase in faith just allow us to put up with the problems until they pass or is there more responsibility that comes with the gift of faith? In a closer look at the Gospel reading, it seems that Jesus is telling the disciples to use the gift of faith to do the work that Jesus commissioned them to do. It is the same for us as it was for Jesus' disciples and for the people that Habakkuk is writing to. We must pay attention to the "vision" and press on to the time of its fulfillment. If we do this, we will not be disappointed. But it is so very easy to get discouraged and anxious because things don't seem to be getting any better - they seem maybe to be even worse.

Discouraged - how do we continue to be the people we are called to be when we become discouraged? I believe we find the answer to that in the reading from Paul to Timothy. Each of us who has been baptized has been strengthened with the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have become part of a community of believers who can support one another and lift one another up in times of discouragement. We can overcome the discouragement and problems of the world with the strength that comes from God.

For us the vision has come to fulfillment in the passion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Christ. We have the reality of the life of Jesus to look at as well as the gift of the Holy Spirit that has been given us to help us grow in faith. We must continually open ourselves to the love, grace and mercy of God and we must - I say it again - MUST share that same love, grace, and mercy with those around us.

When we do this, we make visible to the world around us the vision God has given us through Jesus. When we do this "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

May the love, grace and mercy of God be with you all.

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Deacon Tim Maroney

St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church