Word to the Wise

Sunday, October 5, 2025 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C

[Habb 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10]
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of the hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. [2 Timothy] The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. [Luke]


     Both the 2nd Letter to Timothy and the Gospel According to Luke were composed to encourage missionaries in the sometimes arduous task of preaching and bearing witness to the gospel.  Active persecution of Christian missionaries was common, and the threat to life and limb could be a challenge to the zeal of a missionary.  How does one persevere in the face of danger.  Jesus and St. Paul tell the missionaries that they have what they need.  They simply need to put it into practice!
     In our American culture, and perhaps elsewhere, the danger to a missionary may be more subtle than physical persecution.  The letter to Timothy addresses the fatigue that can set in from the continual effort to counter secular values that are contrary to the gospels.  Faith is not a consumer product.  It is an interior conviction of the truth.  It is more than going to Mass and other sacraments, as the Gospel According to Matthew makes very clear in the parable of the Last Judgement (Matt. 25:31-45)!  Faith is an entire way of BEING.  Jesus and St.Paul challenge the missionaries to realize the power of that faith to allow them to do great things "with the strength that comes from God."  It is a daily challenge and a lifelong calling.  AMEN

     

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