Many years ago a famous shoe company sent one of its salespeople to a far away country to start a business. After a few months he sent back the message: "I am coming home. Nobody wears shoes here." The same company sent another sales person to the same backward area. After a few months she sent this message to the home office: "Send more order forms! Nobody wears shoes here! Hence I can sell more shoes.” The second salesperson saw the opportunity in her situation - not the difficulty. She succeeded because she had faith in her product, faith in the people and faith in her ability to canvass customers. Today's readings tell us that if we have a little faith - even the smallest amount, in God's power which He is glad to share with us, then we are on the right track

Exegesis: The context: When Jesus demanded of His disciples that they respond with unconditional and unlimited forgiveness to their repentant offenders (vss 3-4), the disciples asked Jesus for the faith required to meet this demand. In addition, the apostles were asking for greater confidence and trust in God, so that they might work the miracles which they had seen Jesus perform, like the withering of a fig-tree by a simple command. Jesus responded by telling them of the power of faith -- even a very little faith (vss. 5-6). He used the parables of the mustard seed and the good servant to help them to understand the need for strong faith.

a) The parable of the mustard seed: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed." Faith is used here in three senses. 1) First, faith means "trust." People "have faith in their banks" because their accounts are insured. Similarly, we must put our trust in the authority of God and in the truth of His doctrines. St. Paul defines faith as confidence and certainty (Hebrews 11:1). 2) Second, faith refers to assent to doctrines about God taught by Jesus and the Church (e.g., our belief in the truths listed in the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed). 3) Third, faith refers to a “bond” or “relationship,” with God. Jesus tells us that if we have even a small relationship with our heavenly Father, we can do anything. No matter how weak it seems, faith is an overwhelming power. Even a little faith can direct our lives, comfort us when we are discouraged and challenge us when we are complacent.

Jesus did not ask the apostles to move trees or mountains, but rather to forgive their repentant brothers and sisters. Such a requirement demanded faith and the apostles (representing all church leaders), responded by asking that their faith be increased to meet such a demanding challenge. Jesus reminded them that it was not the greatness of their faith, but rather the greatness of God’s power working through them that would move mountains (Matt.17:20; Mark 11:23). Forgiveness is a gift of God’s grace, activated through faith. When a person of faith taps into God’s power all things become possible — even moving mountains or forgiving bitter enemies. Faith, Jesus says, is something dynamic, active, and alive. Faith is a gift God gives us to overcome obstacles. It enables us to cooperate with His grace and power for accomplishing whatever He wants us to do.

Faith strong enough to plant a tree in the sea: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you” (Luke 17:6). Planting a tree in the sea using words alone sounds impossible and ridiculous to us. By the use of this cartoon metaphor, however, Jesus challenges us to attempt the difficult things of life. The tree Jesus mentions is a variety of large, deeply rooted mulberry tree that grows in the Middle East. By this strange example, Jesus shows us that we too can perform miracles. We must be ready to attempt things that the worldly, the wise and the sophisticated laugh at. Let us thank God for those who take up the challenge, those who are prepared to take a risk for the sake of Christ Jesus, thus inspiring the rest of us. Here are two examples. 1) A middle-aged mother went back to complete her teacher training. She specialized in helping children with learning difficulties. In a large school, she worked with a class of what others called “the retarded.” Because she had actually asked for this difficult class, some teachers treated her as though she were insane. Wasn’t this truly “planting trees in the sea?” 2) A priest in Africa deliberately committed a small crime in order to get himself put in a prison where he could minister to those who needed him most. He was “planting a tree in the sea!” He had true faith!

b) The parable of the Under-Appreciated Servant: There seems, at first, to be no connection between Christ’s statement on faith and the parable which follows—except that it teaches us that faith alone is not sufficient. Faith also requires action. This becomes evident in the parable about the master who expects his servant to carry out His orders. When the servant returns from working in the fields, he also has house-work to do. His master does not feel indebted to his servant for his fidelity in doing what is all part of his duty. In the same manner, the apostles, and we, are expected to carry out the orders Jesus gives us. They and we are the servants of the Gospel. So we can never feel that we have worked “enough.” If we have faith we will not grumble and complain that we have been working for God all day long, and now we are tired, so it is God’s turn to attend to our needs. We must regard ourselves as God’s servants, as did Jesus who came “not to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). Service to God and neighbor is a voluntary or free act which springs from a generous and merciful heart. It is a sacred duty which we owe to God. When we serve the poor, we are simply serving at the Lord’s Table and waiting on Him while He eats and drinks. As we work for the Lord in faith, he works in us.

Jesus instructs his disciples to say, “We are unprofitable servants.” The New English Bible gives the correct translation: "We are servants and deserve no credit." The Greek original suggests simply that these servants should not expect anything further, i.e. that they should not be looking for special attention or approval. We also must realize that our ability to lead a good life, to love other people, and to serve God is not our own doing. These things come from our relationship with God. Even when we forgive others it is by the grace of God through faith. He is our source of power, and without his help we are useless servants. We acknowledge our bond with God as the source of our virtue. The stronger our relationship with God, the more will we be empowered to forgive others and do good to them.

Messages: 1) Thank God, giving Him the credit for our well being. Following the example of the Apostles, we must pray for greater faith and trust in God. Most of us are inclined to forget God’s providence when our earthly affairs are going well. How often do we thank Him when we enjoy good health, or when our home-life and business are going smoothly? How many of us thank God for all the gifts we have received? We often attribute our good health to correct use of food and exercise. Often we attribute our success to our hard work and intelligence. It is only when a storm arises in our life that we think of God. We pray to Him only when trouble strikes. In His infinite goodness God often answers such prayers. If, however, we had thought of Him every day and realized His place in our lives, with how much more confidence would we approach Him in our hour of need? If our own personal lives were stronger in faith how much more readily would we accept the adversities and the trials that God sends us? This is why we must ask God today to “increase our faith” at all times.

2) Increase faith by becoming dutiful servants of God. Let each one of us ask the question: “What have I done up to now to help my neighbor reflect on his life after death? I may not know theology. But I can speak to my neighbor more convincingly by my daily actions than by explaining my beliefs. The sincere Christian can find many ways to help to make Christ known to his neighbor. A quiet word, a charitable gesture, an unselfish interest in a neighbor’s troubles can do more good than a series of sermons given by some renowned theologian. There are always people around us who need help. We can help them — God expects it of us. Faith is increased by serving others, not by being served. Faith is increased when we manifest our love towards others, our family, friends and strangers. When we isolate ourselves from the world, we lose our faith.

3) Grow in faith by using the means Christ has given us in his Church. We must cultivate our faith through prayer, study, and a well-disciplined spiritual life. Faith is the gift of God—so we must pray that God will increase our faith. Time spent with God in prayer is fundamental to the development of faith. We must pray for a faith that is strong enough to overcome the difficulties and crises we face daily. Association with people of faith builds faith. Hence our participation in the Holy Mass (‘the mystery of faith”) and life of the church is important. Because of the Eucharistic meal on the altar and the sacramental graces at our disposal, we find that we are not unprofitable servants, but instruments and agents of the Lord Who, through the power of divine love, helps us to reap a harvest worthy of Him. Sacred scriptures inform and correct our faith. Without the guidance of the scriptures, our faith tends to be weak. We grow in faith as we act in faith. Every gift of God is strengthened by the exercise of it.

Father Cantalamessa on the Leap of Faith
Pontifical Household Preacher Comments on Sunday's Readings

ROME, OCT. 5, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday's liturgy.

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Increase Our Faith
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10

This Sunday's Gospel begins with the apostles asking Jesus: "Increase our faith!"

Instead of satisfying their desire, Jesus seems to want to make it grow further. He says: "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed ..."

Without a doubt, faith is the dominant theme this Sunday. We hear about it also in the first reading, in the celebrated line of Habakkuk, taken up again by St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans: "The just shall live by faith" (1:17).

Faith has a few different meanings. This time I would like to reflect on the more common and elementary understanding of faith: believing or not believing in God.

This is not the faith by which one decides whether one is Catholic or Protestant, Christian or Muslim, but the faith by which one decides whether one is a believer or a nonbeliever, believer or atheist. A Scripture text says: "Those who come to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). This is the first step of faith, without it, we cannot take the other steps.

To speak of faith in such a general way we cannot base ourselves only on the Bible since it only has validity for Christians and, in part, for Jews, but not for anyone else. It is fortunate for us that God wrote two "books": One is the Bible, the other is creation. The one is composed of letters and words, the other of things.

Not everyone knows or is able to read the book of Scripture; but everyone, from every place and culture, can read the book of creation. "The heavens tell of the glory of God and the firmament declares the work of his hands" (Psalm 19:2). Paul writes: "Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made" (Romans 1:20).

It is urgent that we show how unfounded the opinion is that says that science has already liquidated the problem and exhaustively explained the world without any need to invoke the idea of a reality beyond it called God. In a certain sense, today science brings us closer to faith in a creator than in the past.

Let us consider the famous theory that explains the origin of the universe with the "big bang," the great explosion at the beginning. In a billionth of a billionth of a second, we go from one situation in which there is not yet anything, neither space nor time, to a situation in which time has begun, space exists, and, in an infinitesimal particle of matter, there is already, in potency, the whole subsequent universe of billions of galaxies, as we know it today.

One could say: "There is no sense in asking about what there was before that instant, because there is no 'before,' when time does not exist."

But I say: "How can we not ask that question!"

"Trying to go back behind the history of the cosmos," it will be said, "is like going through the pages of a large book starting at the end. Once we arrive at the beginning we see that the first page is missing."

I believe biblical revelation has something to tell us precisely about this first page. Science cannot be asked to declare on this "first page," which is outside time, but neither must science close the circle, making everyone think that everything is resolved.

There is no pretense of "demonstrating" God's existence, in the common understanding of this term. Here below we see as through a mirror, says St. Paul.

When a ray of light enters into a room, it is not the ray of light itself that is seen, but the dance of the dust that receives and reveals the light. It is the same with God: We do not see him directly, but as in a reflection, in the dance of things. This explains why God is not reached without the "leap" of faith.