... if you have faith. ? Matthew 17:19

Impatient. That?s what I?ve always been. When I get into something, I always want to see results immediately. I rarely stop and think about the consequences that this ?thrillseeking? could bring. The rush of wanting to get a promotion, the grand vision of owning a house and lot at a young age, a perfect family in a flash?all these I wanted in the NOW. And with this rush to see things through, I most of the time trip and fall flat on my face.
      But on hindsight, I now realize that Jesus is telling me to ?Stop and just have faith.? Faith that everything will work out. Faith that everything will unfold on its own. Faith that, with Christ, I don?t need to be always in a hurry. And this same faith, even the littlest grain of it, will make me acquire everything that God intended for me to have. With faith in Jesus and His plans for me, I could indeed move mountains and stir hearts.
      Trusting God is an adventure in itself. Not knowing what each step may bring, but having that ultimate stronghold on His knowledge and goodness, is truly a breathtaking experience. Tes L.

REFLECTION:
With faith in God and His goodness, we are able to achieve the mission He has set out for us to do.

?Lord, there are times I want to immediately fight the battle for You. Let me be aware, though, that I need to be fully armed to win it.?

Habakkuk 1:12-2:4

Once again the message of the prophets is that the righteous man is a person of faith. No matter what the lure of sin may be, the righteous person will stand by the truth and not be fooled into embracing the fleeting pleasures of sin. Righteousness is, in one sense, its own reward in that the knowledge that we are doing the will of God is usually enough to ensure that we do not stray from His path. There is an implicit trust that God will be faithful and nothing else matters other than this.

12 Are you not from eternity, O LORD, my holy God, immortal? O LORD you have marked him for judgment, O Rock, you have readied him for punishment! 13 Too pure are your eyes to look upon evil, and the sight of misery you cannot endure. Why, then, do you gaze on the faithless in silence while the wicked man devours one more just than himself? 14 You have made man like the fish of the sea, like creeping things without a ruler. 15 He brings them all up with his hook, he hauls them away with his net, he gathers them in his seine; and so he rejoices and exults. 16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net, and burns incense to his seine; for thanks to them his portion is generous, and his repast sumptuous. 17 Shall he, then, keep on brandishing his sword to slay peoples without mercy? 2: 1 I will stand at my guard post, and station myself upon the rampart, and keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint. 2 Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. 3 For the vision still has ts time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. 4 The rash man has no integrity; but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.

P S A L M

Psalm 9: 8-9, 10-11, 12-13

R: You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.

7 [8] The LORD sits enthroned forever; he has set up his throne for judgment. 8 [9] He judges the world with justice; he governs the peoples with equity. (R) 9 [10] The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of distress. 10 [11] They trust in you who cherish your name, for you forsake not those who seek you, O LORD. (R) 11 [12] Sing praise to the LORD enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations his deeds; 12 [13] for the avenger of blood has remembered; he has not forgotten the cry of the  poor.

G O S P E L

Matthew 17:14-20

Jesus saying about faith seems to be a bit of an exaggeration. However, when we recall that it was by the word of God that everything was created, we can see that what He says is true. It just goes to show us that we have a long way to go before we reach the point that faith has grown to the size of a mustard seed. Yet, we should not allow this thought to dampen our fervor in reaching this goal. We should always focus on what is possible through faith and not our failures.

14 When they came to the crowd a man approached, knelt down before him, 15 and said, ?Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.? 17 Jesus said in reply, ?O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me.? 18 Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. 19 Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, ?Why could we not drive it out?? 20 He said to them, ?Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ?Move from here to there,? and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.?

my reflections
think: No matter what the lure of sin may be, the righteous person will stand by the truth and not be fooled into embracing the fleeting pleasures of sin.

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God?s special verse/thought for me today________________

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T O D A Y ? S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Jeremiah 27-30

Why do evil men prosper while the righteous suffer? This is our question. But it is not only ours. The prophet Habakkuk asked the same question even before we were born. Today, he questions God, ?Why do You look on while men are treacherous, and stay silent while the evil man swallows a better man than he??
      But God answers, ?See how he flags, he whose soul is not at rights, but the upright man will live by his faithfulness.? Jesus advises us today through the Gospel, ?Have faith. Even if your faith is the size of a mustard seed?nothing would be impossible for you.?? It does take an unwavering faith to continue believing in doing what is good when what is evil seems to be winning. It does demand solid faith to live uprightly when unrighteousness  seems to be even rewarded. It requires faith ? strong faith ? in God as evil men prosper while the righteous suffer.
      Unwavering, solid and strong faith ? that is the kind of faith we need. Our faith may be small ? as small as a mustard seed ? but if it is steadfast, determined and sturdy, our faith will carry us through the unjust ways of the world. The size of our faith in God does not determine its strength. And we need to be strong to continue believing in God just when everything, including believing in Him, seems to be absurd.
      The question of the prophet Habakkuk remains our question today. The answer of God is the same answer He gives us. The advice of Jesus does not change: Have faith?even the size of a mustard seed. Fr. Bobby T.

REFLECTION QUESTION:

How does the unjust ways of the world affect my faith in God?

Dear God, because You are God, I know that You know what You are doing. But knowing that is not enough. I need to believe it. Bless whatever little faith I have and make it unwavering, solid and strong. I know that the evil prosper while the righteous suffer. But I believe that You give life to the righteous while the evil shall come to their end. Amen.

St. Murtagh, bishop, pray for us.