GOSPEL THOUGHTS
*Ordinary Season : Eighteenth Week: Saturday*
*Gospel : Mt 17: 14-20*
*First Reading : Habakkuk 1:12 - 2:4*
*Responsorial Psalm : 9: 8-13*
*Faith: The Power of the Mustard Seed Before the Mountain*
*1) The Mustard Seed – Small but Alive*
A mustard seed is very small, but it contains life and potential.
Jesus does not say, “You need enormous faith.” He says, “faith like a mustard seed.”
The message is:
Small faith can produce great things.
A little faith, when genuinely placed in God, can grow.
Faith is not about how much we have, but whether we truly trust God.
What appears insignificant in our hands can become powerful when placed in God's hands.
Sometimes we think, “My faith is too weak. My prayer is too small. I cannot do much.” Jesus reminds us: Do not underestimate the power of a small faith that trusts God.
*2) The Mountain – What Stands Before Us*
The mountain represents those things that appear impossible, immovable and overwhelming.
In daily life, our mountains may be:
A serious family problem
Fear about the future
Financial difficulties
Failure or disappointment
Addiction or destructive habits
Conflict and broken relationships
Loneliness and discouragement
A difficult responsibility
A seemingly impossible pastoral or social situation
The mountain says: “You cannot overcome me.” Faith says: “With God, I will face you.”
The mountain may not disappear immediately, but faith changes the way we stand before the mountain.
*3) Mustard Seed + Mountain = Faith in Action*
The important contrast is:
Mustard seed = what I have
Mountain = what I face
Faith = how I connect what I have with God's power
The question is not: “How big is my faith?” but: “Where is my faith placed?”
A small faith placed completely in God can give us courage to face something much bigger than ourselves.
*4) Faith Does Not Mean “No Problems”*
Jesus does not promise that a person of faith will have no mountains.
Rather, faith tells us: “The mountain is real, but it is not greater than God.”
Faith does not deny reality. Faith sees reality through God's presence.
A person without faith says: “This problem is impossible.”
A person of faith says: “This problem is beyond my strength, but it is not beyond God's power.”
*5) The Mountain May Be Within Us*
Sometimes the greatest mountain is not outside us but inside us.
Our mountains can be: Pride, Anger, Fear, Jealousy, Unforgiveness, Lack of confidence, Negative thinking, Indifference, Lack of trust in God
Therefore, Jesus' teaching invites us to ask: “What is the mountain inside me that faith needs to move?”
*6) Faith Begins Small*
We often wait for a great faith experience before beginning.
But the mustard seed teaches us to begin with something small:
One sincere prayer
One act of forgiveness
One step toward reconciliation
One decision to change
One act of kindness
One moment of trust
One courageous “yes” to God
Small beginnings can lead to great transformations.
*7) Faith Must Grow*
A mustard seed is not meant to remain a seed.
It must be planted, watered and allowed to grow.
Likewise, faith must be: received → nourished → practiced → strengthened → shared.
If faith remains only in our words, it does not grow.
Faith grows through: Prayer, God's Word, Sacraments, Community, Service, Forgiveness, Trusting God during difficulties
“Do not measure your faith by the size of your mountain; measure your mountain by the greatness of the God in whom you trust.”
*Think about it*
*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*
*Fr Maxim DSouza*
*Jeppu Seminary*
*Mangalore*
No comments:
Post a Comment