Word to the Wise
Monday, November 7, 2011 - Monday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Wis 1:1-7 and Luke 17:1-6,]The Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied "If you have faith the size of a mustsard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea' and it would obey you.
One of the most common expressions I hear in spiritual counseling is "I wish I had more faith!" When I ask folks what they imagine it would be like if they had "more" faith, they usually respond in terms of more prayers or devotions. Yet Jesus doesn't tell the disciples to say more prayers or go to the temple more often. He refers to the depth and intensity of the inner belief. This is more difficult to put in one's "own" words. Sometimes we look for a written prayer that will express what we want to say. St. Paul says that the Spirit will pray on our behalf! One of my favorite images of faith/prayer is a painting I have of a boy in a field getting ready to throw a rock at the sky in the hopes of hitting God! Another is Moses standing in front of a burning bush and arguing with it!
I think the better course is to look for that "mustard seed" in ourselves and using it to motivate us. Faith cannot be quantified but it CAN be experienced. We sometimes let ourselves lose touch with it. Finding it again will provide us with plenty of that "more" we are seeking. AMEN
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