Hymns for Mass – Press Here

FIRST READING (The just one, because of his faith, shall live.)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Habakkuk (1:2-3; 2:2-4)

How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord. Then the Lord answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live. —The Word of the Lord.

1. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9)

1. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (Ps 95:8)

Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him. (R)

Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. (R)

Oh, that today you would hear his voice: “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.” (R)

SECOND READING (Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord.)

A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy (1:6-8, 13-14)

Beloved: I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. 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 hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

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. —The Word of the Lord.

1. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (1 Pt 1:25)

1. Alleluia, alleluia.

The word of the Lord remains for ever. This is the word that has been proclaimed to you. (R)

GOSPEL (If you have faith!)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (17:5-10)

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.

“Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” —The Gospel of the Lord.

1. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

“We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty!”

We do not hear much about faith these days, except when talking about faith in ourselves. Our culture pushes us to disbelieve or distrust anything besides the self. We are trained and pushed to be self-reliant, and to determine our own direction in life and future, without relying on any outside force. Skeptics ridicule men and women who have faith in something Divine.

And then, all around us we have attacks on “faith,” when – misunderstanding what faith truly means – we see people of faith derided, denigrated, insulted, and abused for their belief when the world is caught up in violence, death and destruction. “Where is your God now!” they are asked. “If God is so good, explain the death of this child; the destruction of this family; this earthquake or tsunami; that war?!

In some ways their cries mirror those of the prophet Habakkuk in our first reading, who cries out to God, “How long, O Lord, am I to cry out for help while you will not listen?” But is this cry of Habakkuk one of disbelief and frustration against his Creator? The context is quite different. He is preaching to people all around him who are oblivious to the “signs of the times,” and do not see that their nation-state of the southern Kingdom is about to fall, and they will be carried off into exile.

In his cry, Habakkuk expresses the frustration of a person surrounded by unfaithful people, and he comes to realize that human strength, human skills are no use in resolving many issues we face. The message God gives to Habakkuk and to us is that we need to confront our own frustrations and confront our fears with the only weapon that can help us – FAITH.

“The upright man will live by his faithfulness.”

This is the underlying purpose of the prophecy of Habakkuk – FAITH WORKS! Faith eases burdens. Faith overcomes challenges. Faith gives life.

Yes, FAITH WORKS! And often enough we come to see that it is the only thing that truly works.

The thrust of the Gospel of Luke that we have been reading most of this year is “discipleship,” and the readings today continue in that theme by speaking about discipleship in terms of “faith,” or more exactly, “faithfulness” which is more clearly the word in Hebrew used for “faith.”

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews teaches us, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for!”

It is sometimes easy to over-think or over-intellectualize Faith. It is not simply an acceptance of truth or a set of truths. It is more profound, more nuanced. The word for faith in Hebrew – the word in our readings today – shows this depth because the word is translated as loyalty, perseverance, and faithfulness. Throughout the Scriptures we come to understand that the one who has faith is te one who is faithful, who keeps trying, who never quits.

The wonderful image in the Gospel is an example: “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” In another way, we are being told, “Your faith can move mountains!” This is a lesson on what can happen through sheer perseverance.

Faith changes nothing outside of us – but faith changes everything inside of us. Even a little faith can make great changes – inside of us. The story that follows the parable is meant to encourage faithfulness, not faith itself.

Let me offer another image – the BLUEPRINT. If you have ever attempted something even as small as remodeling a corner of your home, or building a house, or even working on a major construction sight, you know how important the BLUEPRINTS are. The workers do not make the blueprints. They are the product of someone else, an engineer and architect who understands intricate, complicated concepts of weight, mass, materials, etc… The worker does not presume to know all this but trusts in the skills of the designer and follows the blueprint. We know too how often when certain projects collapse or fail, an investigation turns up where someone (the worker?) was cutting corners and changed the blueprint.

Look on our life than where God the Creator has created the blueprint. A believer does not presume to second-guess God. A believer is one who faithfully executes the blueprint. A believer does what is expected of him or her. A believer does what he or she was hired to do – like the servants in the lesson after the parable today. Our task of discipleship is to be that faithful worker who does what the blueprint directs us to do – and nothing more.

The call to a life of faith and faithfulness in today’s readings is not a promise of a life free of any challenges, obstacles, dangers or burdens. It is not the promise of a life that will always make complete sense. It is not the promise of a life that is always marked by a clear direction or purpose, and filled with satisfaction.

Rather, the call to faith and faithfulness is above all – a call to perseverance, even when there is mystery, even when there are questions and doubts, even when things around us do not always make sense. A life of faith is a promise that precisely in that perseverance we discover the power of God. This is the realization of WHAT IS HOPED FOR. This is true faith.

Prayers

Celebrant: We are God’s friends, his adopted children, but in humble prayer we come to him as servants, seeking to do our duty, and asking him to “increase our faith.”

READER: For those ordained to serve the Church, that they will always use the permanent gifts granted to them by the laying-on of hands,(Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER:  For the nations of the world, that the justice of God be not further rejected by tyranny, terrorism and discord, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all those preparing for marriage as well as for married couples in our community, that they be filled with a spirit of deeper faith as they grow ever more closer in love and mutual forgiveness, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: In this month dedicated to the Rosary, may we find strength, consolation, and assistance praying with confidence for the divine intercession of the Blessed Mother for all our needs, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: [SMC only For continued strength and healing for Remington, for whom this Mass is offered, and] For all the sick and suffering in our community as well as for our faithful departed, that they be welcomed into God’s eternal Kingdom, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

CELEBRANT: God our Father, increase our faith, as once more we make our petitions, offering them confidently, through Christ, our Lord. (all) AMEN.