27th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Luke 17:5-10)
“The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds,” Jesus reminds his followers. He uses the mustard seed several times in his preaching for different reasons. What is Jesus reacting to in this Gospel? The people are asking for more faith. Jesus knew that self-doubt is the worst obstacle when it comes to living the Christian vocation. “If we have just a little faith in God’s providence, what might we do?”, he asks.
We could be reminded of the story of the multiplication of the loaves in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Mark. A large group of people come out into the countryside to hear Jesus speak. The day passes. The people are hungry. The apostles tell Jesus to send the people away so that they may have something to eat. How does he respond? He doesn’t say, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of things.” He says, “Give them something to eat yourselves.” When the Apostles start to pass out food the masses of people are fed. Nothing happens until the Apostles act.
And that is the way it is when we contemplate ministries in the church. Who can forget St. Peter? When he met Jesus by the seashore, he knew he was a great fisherman. Jesus called him to be an apostle. Peter objected saying, “Leave me for I am a sinful man.” But what did Jesus say? “I will make you a fisher of men.” To be a fisher of men you need to attack the task with the same mentality you go out to fish with.
October 4th, we commemorated the memory of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis struggled mightily to discern his purpose in life. As a young man, he had the experience that many people did. He went off to war. He was captured. While he was in prison, he became physically ill. A ransom was paid. He came home where he had a slow recovery. He began to question everything. He no longer felt like a life of self-indulgence made sense. He then renounced his inheritance after an argument with his father. His father thought he was psychologically ill. Like some homeless people today, Francis wandered from place to place.
As he prayed at San Damiano Church near Assisi one, day asking for guidance, he heard a crucifix speak. Jesus said, “Rebuild my church. Francis did physically rebuild the church of San Damiano, but he also began to guide others in their spiritual lives. The little man of Assisi, who was so full of doubt, let go of his will. He embraced God’s will. He began to trust God completely for everything. He modeled this way of life. He began a movement that is still alive 800 years after his death. He began a religious order that men and women dedicate their lives to. What if he had said to the voice that spoke to him from the cross, “No thank you.” The church would be far different.
We have many ministries within Sacred Heart Parish. We are all endowed at Baptism with many graces that can supply us with strength to minister in the name of Jesus. But most people feel like they don’t have the time, the talents, or the holiness to step into the role of a church minister. Usually that isn’t true. The gospels were written to challenge people to “dare to be more.”
Someone said once that Jesus stands by a sea selling water. Not a very attractive product. One must have an imagination to buy what Jesus sells. He tried to get others to see what he saw. What he saw was mulberry trees pulled up and thrown into the sea. He saw what could happen if people were like Francis who took a leap of faith when invited to do so by Jesus.