27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parishioners,

All three readings today, speak of FAITH. The first reading is part of a dialogue between God and the prophet, Habakkuk, who complains about injustices he sees about him and God doesn’t intervene. God will intervene in HIS time … meanwhile; we must remain strong in faith in God.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that faith can achieve great things. The idea of uprooting a tree is not to be taken literally. It means that with faith, what looks impossible can become possible.

A few things are worth keeping in mind.  As Jesus spoke those words, he would have shocked his hearers. A slave had no claim to either wages or thanks from his Master, regardless of how well he served. At that time too, Judaism was dominated by a notion of merit. It was felt that God ‘owed’ salvation to people in return for keeping the Law. Jesus rejects this idea as he emphasises God’s generosity and sheer goodness. We must humble acknowledge that we are only servants. God doesn’t ‘owe’ us anything; it is we who owe thankfulness to him for all his blessings.

We thank God for our faith in him, be it strong or weak. To have faith in God is a tremendous blessing. Faith gives meaning to life; it gives a vision; it gives hope; hope can result in joy. St Paul sums it up in Romans 5:2-5: “It is by faith and through Jesus that we enter this state of grace … we can boast about our sufferings. These sufferings bring patience and patience brings perseverance and perseverance brings hope and this hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. What a magnificent sequence of events because of our faith in God!!

Let us keep all these qualities in mind as we enter the final days of the Season of Creation leading up to the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on Tuesday next. We are stewards of God’s Creation. Let us never tire of protecting, preserving and appreciating all of God’s gifts to us. In this sense, we must not feel sorry for ourselves if we have to be careful with money, energy and food in the days ahead. It is no more than we should be doing out of love and gratitude to God for his goodness to us. We need to tread lightly with our Carbon Footprint on a world that is vulnerable and fragile and in the need of our care.

In section 202 of Laudato Si’, Pope France writes: Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who need to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belongings, and of a future to be shared with everyone. This basic awareness would enable the development of new convictions, attitudes and forms of life. A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal.

That’s all of now, have a great week, God bless.

Fr Joe