Homily for Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 2nd October, 2022

  Readings: Habak.1:2-3;2:2-4; Ps.95; 2Tim.1:6-8.13-14; Luke 17:5-10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia 

HAVING THE FAITH THAT MOVES MOUNTAIN REQUIRES PUTTING INTO POSITIVE USE THE GIFT GOD HAS GIVEN US

Using a simple story to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson has always been one of the characteristics of Jesus when addressing the people regarding things that are very important. By couching his teaching in parables, Jesus made certain points much clearer to his audience. This is evident in our Gospel passage today where he  used an analogy of mustard seed to illustrate the important of faith. This is very important for oftentimes, we think that we have faith enough to face whatever challenges that come our way.

 

But the fact remains that we can only know the level and capacity of our faith when we are truly faced with  situations that overwhelm our physical, mental and spiritual abilities. Then we will realize that what we think we have as faith is nothing but a shadow of the reality. That is why Jesus exposed the sacrificial nature of discipleship as regards to forgiveness, when he let them know that they must learn to forgive as often as some offered them. Realizing our difficult this may be his apostles said to him Lord increase our faith and Jesus using the analogy of the mustard seed said: “ if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you”

Here, Jesus decided to use the analogy of a mustard seeds to give us lecture about having a perfect and complete faith that moves mountain. And mustard seed as we know is the smallest of all seeds which grows to produce the largest of all shrubs. So with the analogy of the mustard seed in relation to faith, Jesus emphasized that If we have the smallest faith that is genuine, we can do all things. Just like the mustard seed, so small but produces the largest of all trees. Therefore, If we begin to nurture our faith to grow and strengthened from small humble beginning, it will grow to the point that it can help us to perform and achieve greater things and conquer most difficult situations that at first would appear impossible. So faith moving mountains, implies that spiritual ability to make all difficult and stumbling situations to vanish. 

Little wonder prophet Habakkuk encouraging us in our first reading today says: that God will never abandon his people, for everything will happen in due time for those who have faith, if it comes slowly, wait, for come it will, without delay. For behold, he whose soul is not upright in God shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith. That is why we are told that faith is a supernatural gift of God, which enables us to believe without doubting whatever God has revealed. But  when a precious gift is given to us and we failed to put it into use, whose fault is it? They fault of the person that gave us the gift? No. The fault of the gift itself? No. Or the fault of the receiver who has failed to put the gift into positive use? Yes.

So, this gift must be nurtured and put into use if we want to gain from it. Hence, St. Paul in our second reading today said: Beloved, I am reminding you to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. He continues: Keep as your pattern the sound teaching you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. For you have been trusted to look after something precious; guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in you. 

Dear friends, we must learn to put into positive use the gift of faith God has given us before it can move mountains . And if we want to grow in faith, we must cultivate the humble habit of a mustard seed, which though small but has the potential of becoming great when exposed to a fertile environment. For us to have the faith that moves mountain, we must be well deposed to embrace the power of God in our lives, we must desire to have a personal experience of the power of God at work in the world and acknowledge that in him comes our victory over every situation we encounter.

Therefore, we are called to let every moment of difficulties and trials lead us to grow in faith and knowledgment of God’s power and authority. So, I don’t know what you are passing through now especially as regards your faith in Jesus, I don’t know what you are asking God to do for you. I don’t know how ugly the situation in your life has been, I don’t know whatever sickness your are passing through or how abandoned and rejected you feel right now. I don’t know how stubborn and impossible your situation have been. All I have to let you know is that Jesus has not stopped thinking and caring about you. All you have to do is to be confident and put into positive use the gift of faith God has given you the day you were baptized. Do not let that precious gift waste while you suffer for nothing. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, faith is your supernatural gift to humanity, grant that we may embrace this gift even as little as that of a mustard seed, in order to move out of our lives the tough mountains that are crushing us on our daily lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday, wishing you a blessed Month.