Keeping the Faith

HOMILY: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 17:5-10

2 October 2022

Fr. Ricky Montañez, AA

I have a friend who seems to have defied all odds after having been diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. Napakahirap na panahon ito para sa kanya at sa lahat ng nagmamahal sa kanya. Just last year, she finished the treatments prescribed to her by her doctors. What is most impressive is the fact that she continues to live a normal life with her family. Such is the faith of this woman! 

Our readings this Sunday offer us a few situations where an increased faith is most needed in order to remain true to our being followers of Jesus. 

When do we need to pray for an increase in faith?  First, we find a need for an increased faith in moments when we doubt God’s presence in the experience of broken relationship, business loss, betrayal of one’s spouse, serious illnesses, tragic death, etc.   These are trying moments when we often experience the silence of God or when we tend to feel abandoned by God. Going through such difficult circumstances help us sympathise with Habakkuk, the prophet in the First Reading who felt deserted by God crying out to Him in anguish: How long? Why? Sa mga panahon na ito, napapadalas ang ating pagdarasal. Minsan nga lang ang dasal ng iba: “Gusto ko nang bumitaw, Lord! Ayoko na.” Ang iba naman pinagdarasal ang nagpapahirap sa buhay nila: “Kunin mo na siya Lord!”  Wag naman sana tayo ganun. Pero sa totoo lang marami sa ating nagdarasal na sana’y bigyan tayo ng lakas ng Diyos na malampasan ang mga pagsubok. 

Huwag nating katakotan ang pagsubok. Pero wag din nating ipagdasal. “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…”, is something we ask in the Lord’s Prayer! Ngunit pag dumating, hilingin natin na patibayin ng Diyos ang ating pananampalataya.  It is in these moments when our faith is forged and refined and we are to continue believing in God’s promises. “God’s vision has its time, it presses on to its fulfilment and it will surely not disappoint.” (Habakkuk 2:3) We must be patient though “if it delays” because “it will surely come.” As the passage from Habbakuk declares: “The just one shall live because of his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)

Second, often an increased faith is needed when we feel inadequate to fulfil a task given to us. Pag sa ating palagay tila napakahirap ng kailangan nating gawin na hindi na kakayanin ng powers natin. We come face to face with our limitations and shortcomings to accomplish anything on our own.  Yan ang dasal ng mga may katungkulan sa trabaho, mga magulang na hirap sa pagtataguyod sa pamilya, hindi ba?  Thus, St. Paul in the Second Reading urges Timothy to have this tiny faith… “Stir into flame the gift of God… Who did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of love and power and self-control…” (2 Timothy 1:6-7) Like Timothy, there may be times when we see darkness in our life and feel insecure and fearful. And so, Jesus says: “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.” (Luke 17:6) We can think of people of great faith who have accomplished great things in life.

Finally, another insight can be drawn from Jesus’ response to the disciples’ request to increase their faith through the story about unprofitable servants. We need an increase in our faith in God, when we have become quite satisfied with our own capabilities that we think we can do things on our own.  Isinasaisantabi na lang natin ang Diyos dahil tila kayang kaya namang solusyunan ng ating galing at talino ang mga pagsubok ng buhay. We can easily become too self-reliant with what we think we have and are capable of doing that we eventually lose faith in God. Naiisip natin na di na naman natin kailangan ang tulong ni Lord. Di na natin Siya gagambalain pa, dahil kaya na naman natin mag-isa. 

This is why when we think we have done something great, we need to be reminded “we are unprofitable servants who have done only what we are supposed to do.”  (Luke 17:10) Lahat tayo ay ipinanganak na may layuning gagampanan para sa Panginoon at sa ating kapwa. We are mere creatures that serve the Creator. Kailangang maiaalis natin ang yabang sa ating pag-iisip. Lahat ng ating kakayahan ay bigay sa atin ng Diyos. Lahat ng pagkakataon na humasa sa ating galing ay kaloob ng Diyos. Tayo ay inihanda lamang para kayanin natin ang anumang pagsubok na humadlang sa ating pagganap sa ating tungkukin. This is why St. Paul tells Timothy: “Bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.” (2 Timothy 1:8)

We have recently lost five brave rescuers in Bulacan during typhoon Karding. They are remembered for their heroic acts. If you ask people like them who have been recognised for their heroism most likely they would say: “I was only doing my duty. Wouldn’t you do the same if you were there?” Ganyan din ba tayo kay Lord kung tunay tayong tagapasunod ni Kristo? Our faith should always lead us toward engagement with the struggles of the people of our time. Sapagkat tayo ay naniniwala sa Diyos dapat sensitibo tayo sa mga bagay na importante sa ating Maykapal at ang importante sa Kanya ay ang kanyang mga mahal na nilalang. Importante sa Kanyang matugunan ang kanilang pangangailangan at masalba sila sa oras ng pangangailangan.

The life of a Christian is the way of the cross. Someone said it so well: “God never said that the journey would be easy but He did say that the DESTINATION would be worthwhile.” To have faith lies at the very heart of our being Christians. To have deep faith in Jesus Christ means to have such trust in Him that we bear our share of His cross and we obey whatever He commands. And so, our prayer today and always should be: Lord, increase our faith!!!