27th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
October 6, 2019
Luke 17:5-10
If there is one most powerful force in the universe, it will be faith. Jesus teaches us that even faith as small as a mustard seed can do the impossible. Jesus preaches that with this little faith, we can command a sycamore tree be uprooted and be planted in the sea. One of the smallest things on earth can move the most significant reality in the world. The sycamore tree has both deep, strong and widespread roots. It is just impossible to uproot it when it has grown mature. Yet, Jesus surprises further even by saying that we can replant this on the bed of the ocean. That makes it doubly impossible. Jesus is pushing his teaching on faith beyond natural human reasoning!
The question is whether Jesus is merely exaggerating the power of faith, or He is unveiling the deepest of truth of faith. To answer this question, we need to know first what is faith? Surely there are several definitions of faith. In the broadest sense, it is a belief in the divine, something that is much more powerful than us, something beyond us. In many religious traditions, this transcendence is a person that is called God. This faith makes us different those who claim themselves as atheists. In narrower sense, it refers to a belief in a particular set of teachings about the divine. In this sense, the Catholic faith is different from the Protestant Lutheran faith.
St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us that faith is basically an ascent of the intellect. This is precisely what faith is mighty. It does not rely on earthly possession, nor our biological nature, nor our emotions. If we base our faith on moods, every time, we feel unhappy or depressed, and we may lose our faith. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once wrote in her diary that she did not feel the presence of God in her life for almost ten years. If she had depended on her emotion, she would have lost her faith. If we place our faith in our bodily wellbeing, the moment we get sick, or our body weakens, we may lose faith. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina received the gift of stigmata and had to endure the excruciating pain of the crucifixion for more than 50 years. Had he relied on his body, he would have lost his faith long time ago.
It is the ascent of the intellect that makes faith unbelievably powerful. When I was ordained to both to the diaconate and to the priesthood, especially during the most essential part of the ceremony, the laying of bishop’s hands on my head, I confess that I did not feel anything but a little pressure on my head. Does it mean my ordination invalid? Fortunately, the validity of my ordination is not based on my feelings! It is the faith, my faith, my bishop’s faith, the faith of the people, the faith of the Church. It is the faith that allows the unseen, unfelt grace of God to transform my soul into a soul of Jesus, the priest.
Our Catholic faith is indeed the mustard seed that moves a mountain. It is the faith that make our ears to hear the Word of God in the ordinary pages of the Scriptures. It is the faith that opens our minds to see the Body of Christ in a small tiny bread. It is the faith that encourages us to be humble before God and confess our sins before a priest. It is the faith that empowers many Christians to persevere in persecutions and to readily give their blood for Jesus. It is the faith that enables us to sacrifice our lives for others and to love the end.
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP