And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
Lk 17:5-10
EXEGESIS
And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
First, if our faith in God is not strong enough, something can be done to increase it. And that is to pray for an increase of faith.
Second, why do we need a strong faith in God? Because unless we have a strong faith, God can not give us all of the good things he wants to bless us with. When Jesus went to Nazareth, he was surprised how little faith they had in him. The result? “So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mk 6: 5-6).
God has his hands full of blessings. But if we have little faith, it is as if our hands are closed and so we are unable to receive his blessings. But when our faith is strong, it is as if both our hand are wide open to receive his blessings.
The Lord replied, "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.
Jesus is using a hyperbole (exaggeration) here. What is his point? It is this: with faith, great things can happen.
When Don Bosco (St. John Bosco) was dying, he said, “If I had greater faith, I could have done more good.”
It’s like digging a hole. If you use a spoon, you’ll be able to dig a small hole in an hour. If you use a payloader, you’ll be able to dig a big, big hole in an hour. If you don’t have faith, it’s like using a spoon. If you have faith, it’s like using a payloader.
Therefore, if you want great things to happen in your life, you must put your faith in God.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
What is the point of this parable? To answer this question, we have to identify the audience first, that is, to whom is the parable addressed? To the disciples. Now we ask, “what does Jesus want to say to his disciples?” They will be rewarded not because they have a right to the reward. They will be rewarded because God is good.
Maybe we can put it in more simple terms: If we tried to be good on earth, when we die, we can not go to God and tell him: “Open the gates of heaven for me. I earned it.” No. Instead, our words should be: “I tried to be good on earth. I ask to enter heaven, not because I feel I am good enough for heaven but because you are merciful enough to let me in.”
THOUGHT
Let’s go back to the image of using a spoon and a payloader to dig a hole. Perhaps, our problem is not that we chose a spoon. Maybe the problem is that we chose to dig a small hole and that’s why we are contented with a spoon. In other words, perhaps our dreams are too small; our aim too low.
Why are our dreams too small and our aim too low?
Perhaps we are not aware of other possibilities. More than 25 years ago when I was working in a depressed area in Joriz, I volunteered to take charge of the Rondalla. What I did was to bring them to the CBD of Makati. Why? Because I wanted them to see that there is more out there than the sari-sari store in the street corner. I wanted them to dream of one day working in Makati and having enough money to eat there.
Perhaps we are afraid of the effort involved. You need to work hard to achieve great dreams. If you want a beautiful home, you need to work to own that beautiful home.
Perhaps we are afraid to dream big and aim high because we do not have faith in God and in ourselves. When we do not believe in our capacity to achieve our dreams, it means we do not have faith in ourselves. When we do not believe that God will help us achieve our dreams, it means we do not have faith in God. When Manny Pacquiao enters the ring and makes the sign of the cross, to me it means that he is asking God and our Blessed Mother to help him achieve his dream of winning the fight.
Life is a gift and a responsibility. Life is God’s gift to us. He gave us the chance to live. But it is also a responsibility because we need to something worthwhile with our life. Because at the end of our life we will have to present to God what we have done with out life. When the time comes, may we be able to present to him something beautiful, something we can be proud of.
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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.
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