Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 17: 5-10
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had 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.” Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'? Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So, you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'"
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the master of the universe, and yet you wish to listen to me and guide me. You know all things past, present and future, and yet you respect my freedom to choose you. Holy Trinity, you are completely happy and fulfilled on your own, and yet you have generously brought us into existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank you for the gift of yourself. I offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing you are pleased with what I have to give.
Petition: Lord Jesus, grant me the faith of an apostle.
- Supersize it! We live a “supersize” mentality. Everything has to be big: our food orders at McDonalds, our houses, cars, etc. We need to “supersize” our faith in Jesus. He has the power of doing that for us if we request it with all sincerity and humility. At the same time, we need to exercise the faith we have, especially when the temptation to doubt God increases. Our faith deepens in the measure in which we apply it in all the different circumstances of our life.
- Believing: As Jesus states, we often want praise or thanks from others because we have done our duty. Yet, we were only doing what we ought to have done. No praise or thanks is needed, since we have done nothing more than what was expected. Rather than look for recognition, praise, or thanks, we should see ourselves as humble servants in search of greater faith every day.
- Worthless Slaves …Us? No one wants to feel worthless. We all seek to be valued and esteemed, to be needed in some way by others. We strive hard to achieve this esteem from family and friends. However, in our relationship with God our Father, things are often different. We do the minimum in order to get by spiritually. With God’s grace we need to strive to go beyond the minimum, giving ourselves with love and without reservation or fear. It is not that God will somehow value us more; in fact, he already loves us incredibly deeply. Our efforts in the spiritual life are simply a response to God’s love. Paradoxically, the more we humbly seek to respond to God’s love by doing his will in our lives, the more we experience the greatness of his love.
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, help me to place all my trust and faith in you. I don’t always trust, and this is when my fears and anxieties take over. I want to put these aside and place myself in your hands. In doing this I will be able to serve you better.
Resolution: Today I will put more effort in doing the ordinary things of the day in an extraordinary way, out of love for Jesus.
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