FAITH WITH HUMILITY - 10/02/22 (Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Luke 17:10b

“When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100122.cfm

Blessed Sunday! Our Lord Jesus tells us that faith that is the size of a mustard seed can move a tree with just a single command. Of course, this doesn't literally mean that we can just tell a tree to move, and it will move. Rather, He is pertaining to the things that seem impossible to do because of our weakness such as following God's commandments. If we have the faith the size of a mustard seed, we can do the will of God, persevere amidst struggles and reject temptations. Why did Jesus use the imagery of a mustard seed? It's because the small size of this seed represents our littleness which means that humility should accompany our faith.

The truth is that we need to beg for God's graces so that our faith will increase. It's difficult to forgive our enemies when they offend us and hurt us. It's difficult to be diligent in our daily prayer life when there are many distractions in the world such as social media and entertainment. Unfortunately, it's also hard for some people to be devoted to participating in the Holy Mass. Some of them may even be bored even though the Mass is the highest form of worship that we can give to God. The more we recognize our weaknesses, the more that we should be humble before God. Let's not forget to ask for strength from God in our prayer to do what is good and right. As we participate in the Holy Mass and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, may we be honest with Him in telling our struggles. He will increase the faith of those who are dependent on Him. 

Humility is not just about asking for graces from God. It's also a recognition of our unworthiness even when we receive such graces. Humility will enable us to avoid the tendency of thinking highly of ourselves because we know that everything is by God's grace, not by our own strength or capacity. Jesus says to us that we should say, "We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" There are times that when we see our improvement, we may think that we are great. It's as if we want other people to see how we pray so that we can receive their admiration. During the Mass, some of us may be tempted to act with reverence, not because of pure service to God, but because we may want to be seen by others. When we have these thoughts, Jesus is reminding us to reflect and examine why we think this. Let's immediately reject these prideful thoughts in our prayers and admit to God how sinful we are and how unworthy we are due to our sins. 

Because of humility, we will see how merciful God is to us. We can begin to be more grateful to our Lord because despite the fact that we offend Him with our sins, our Lord Jesus still chooses to descend from heaven and be really present in the Holy Eucharist. Even though we may always depend on ourselves and forget God sometimes, He never forgets us because He always grants us new opportunities to repent and do better. Let's give thanks to God who is truly worthy of our love and come to His presence. May we beg for His forgiveness and come to the sacrament of confession. God will lead the people with faith and humility in the way of salvation. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Amazing Testimony on Rosary:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FFyRwJBExMk

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls