How Strong Is Your Faith?

“Take as your norm

the sound words that you heard from me,

in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Guard this rich trust with the help of the

Holy Spirit that dwells within us.”

2 Timothy 1:13-14

How strong is your faith? The apostles in today’s Gospel from Luke 17:5-10 asked Jesus to increase their faith. Instead of showing them how to do this, Jesus tells them that even a small amount of faith can accomplish great things. Chapters 222 through 227 of The Catechism outline the consequences of having faith: It means:

· “Coming to know God’s greatness and majesty”

· “Living in Thanksgiving”

· “Knowing the unity and true dignity of all men and women”

· “Making good use of created things”

· “Trusting God in every circumstance”

Our faith increases our sense of thanksgiving because “everything we are and have comes from him.” (Catechism #224). Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are called to be humble servants of the Lord; we do what has been asked of us as disciples of Christ in a spirit of humility, knowing it is God who has given us the gift of life and grace in all things. Faith helps us trust God in every circumstance, even or especially in times of adversity. The first reading from Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 reminds us that we need patience to wait for what God has promised would be fulfilled in our lives, even when it is not apparent or readily at hand. The Second reading from 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 reminds us of the richness of our gift of faith, and the Holy Spirit is given to us, not a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power, love and self-control. This same Spirit leads us to have confidence that God will empower us to handle whatever adversity we may encounter in our lives. May we always treasure the gift of our faith; even a little goes a long way!