First reading Habakkuk 1:2-3,2:2-4
The upright man will live by his faithfulness
How long, O Lord, am I to cry for help
while you will not listen;
to cry ‘Oppression!’ in your ear
and you will not save?
Why do you set injustice before me,
why do you look on where there is tyranny?
Outrage and violence, this is all I see,
all is contention, and discord flourishes.
Then the Lord answered and said,
‘Write the vision down,
inscribe it on tablets
to be easily read,
since this vision is for its own time only:
eager for its own fulfilment, it does not deceive;
if it comes slowly, wait,
for come it will, without fail.
See how he flags, he whose soul is not at rights,
but the upright man will live by his faithfulness.’
Responsorial Psalm 94(95):1-2,6-9
Second reading 2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14
Never be ashamed of witnessing to our Lord
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. So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God.
Keep as your pattern the sound teaching you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. You have been trusted to look after something precious; guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Gospel Luke 17:5-10
Say, ‘We are merely servants’
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.
‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’
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Faith and service
In today’s gospel passage, the disciples ask Jesus to “increase” their faith—they want to have more faith. Jesus responds by telling them that even faith as small as a mustard seed is enough to live as His disciples. They should not assume that requesting an increase in faith will grant them more power to dominate others or get admiration from others. In fact, the more faith one possesses, the greater the call to humble oneself in service.
Having more faith does not grant us status or praise from others. Instead, it propels us to put into practice Jesus’ teachings about love and service in our everyday lives. Ultimately, how fulfilling it would be to approach Jesus, our Master, and humbly and joyfully say, “We are merely servants; we have done no more than our duty.” Even with faith as small as a mustard seed, we are called to follow Jesus by living a life of loving service, particularly towards the poor and vulnerable among us. The emphasis should not be on the size of our faith, but rather on how that faith—no matter how small—motivates us to serve others.
Reflective question:
How can my faith in Jesus encourage me to focus on serving and loving others around me?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
