27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C
“Some things have to be believed to be seen.”
Each of us comes to Mass today echoing the plea of the disciples, who ask the Lord to increase their faith. Too often we take the gift of faith for granted and assume that God knows what we need. This is true but God still wants us to ask.
Faith works! It eases burdens, overcomes challenges, it gives life. Faith works, and often enough, it is really the only thing that does! But, for it to work, it must be exercised, practiced, renewed, strengthened, and sometimes renewed.
In Scripture, the word that is translated as “faith” really means something more like loyalty, perseverance, “faithfulness.” In the Scripture, the one who has faith is the one who is faithful, who keeps trying, who never quits.
How many times in our lives have we heard people say to us: “Keep the faith” as they walk through troubled times with us? How many times has the phrase, “don’t give up” echoed in our ears – as we tell ourselves that there is a light at the end of that dark tunnel? Faith is perseverance! Faith, says Jesus in the gospel, is remaining faithful, loyal, committed, even during darkness, anger, guilt, frustration, fear, hurt, until you move that mountain through sheer perseverance.
Faith changes nothing outside of us. Faith changes everything inside of us.
“Some things have to be believed to be seen.”
One of my favorite movies is “The Miracle on 34th Street.” I try to watch this movie every year before Christmas. It is an inspiring story about a young woman who has lost her faith in the power of God and has passed that trait on to her daughter. Until she meets a young, bright-eyed, optimistic attorney, who shows her how to “believe” again. Not only to believe in herself but in a higher power and in the magic of Christmas.
My favorite part of the movie is when you see the little girl walking around mumbling to herself: “I believe, I believe, I believe.” Then, on Christmas day, she feels her dream crashing around her because what she asked for was not under the Christmas tree. Her wish (or prayer) was granted, and the house she wanted for herself, her mother and her mother’s Fiancée were given at the end of the movie.
The power of faith is what brought about the miracle, not the miracle that brought about faith. Faith is: “believing in that which we cannot see, but the hope to which we long for.” And once we have seen it, our faith grows stronger and deeper.
The call to faith that Christ gives to us in these readings is not a promise of a life made free of challenges, obstacles, and burdens by the power of God. It is not a promise of a life that always makes sense, which is always marked by clear purpose and satisfaction. Rather, faith is a call to keep at it, even when there is mystery, even when life does not make sense. Faith is a promise that precisely, in that perseverance, is the power of God! The power of God to transform, the power of God to shed new light, and yes, the power of God to bring about miracles!
The challenge for the little girl in the movie, was that she could not give up, she had to hope and believe that what she wanted would be granted – and she did!
The challenge is the same for us. Rather than ask for an “increase” in faith, like the apostles, what is needed on our part, is not to sit around waiting for enough faith to do something, but to continue to do something each day and never quit on the demands of discipleship. Out of love God demands our service. And then, gives us the faith to perform it well! Let us all pray that our faith will increase through our actions.
Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4
2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14