If You Have Faith...
Dear Parishioners,
What is faith? Faith is a special gift from God made available to anyone who looks up to Him and places trust in God without reservation. The church teaches that faith is “adherence of man to God and assent to his truth” It is free and accessible to all who dare to believe. It remains a grave mistake to place such faith in a creature. For a Christian, believing in God cannot be separated from believing in the One he sent, his “beloved Son,” in whom the Father is “well pleased”: Jesus Christ.
When the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith, he set the bar very low so that they would know that faith is easily accessible. “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.” It is not the size of faith that matters; rather it is the source of that faith. The giver of faith is God. Faith in God gives us access to share in his power. It allows us to entrust ourselves wholly to him and to believe absolutely what he says.
These past Sundays we have listened to a series of Jesus’ teachings on various topics. Sometimes his words seem impossible to accept. Sometimes we lack the courage to follow. I guess the apostles must have felt the same way. They wanted to be faithful to Jesus, so they asked him to increase their faith.
We all know how difficult it is to be a disciple in today’s world. We are battling with a society that disregards the basic moral precepts of the Lord, a society that has little or no regard for human dignity. The spikes in crime, violence, greed, hunger, diseases and endless cycle of wars all but point to the degradation of basic moral life.
Our first reading from the book of Habakkuk highlights the misery and violence that is overwhelming the world. Evil seems to have taken over the world and there are no safe places for good people to thrive. All around us is nothing but chaos, destruction and senseless death. It seems we have fallen under the spell of evil and her darkness. We are all tarnished to some extent by the spectacle of evil that surrounds us.
Therefore, the Apostles’ request is as much as ours too: “Lord Increase our faith.” We should not be afraid of evil because the strength that God gives us surpasses everything else. Jesus’ response is clear and simple. “If only you have faith”. We can do incredible things with faith in him. We can overcome evil and her spectacles. Even the tiniest faith can uproot a tree and transplant it into the sea. This power comes from placing your faith in God and trusting in Jesus Christ the Son of the Eternal Father. This simple act is potent and explosive: “if only you have faith."
Faith is grace. It is a gift of God. It cannot be taken for granted. We must look for it and hold tight to it. St. Paul admonished Timothy “to stir into flame the gift of God that you have…” Faith calls us to be humble because we are not the source of our power. It begins with God and ends with God. We are nothing but “useless servants” who place their hope and trust in the Lord.
Only then can the Lord, the giver of life, share his Spirit with us. The Spirit gives life and power. The Spirit helps us to overcome our personal struggles and limitations. The Spirit gives us the assurance that present suffering and evil activities in the world will come to an end. Sincere faith defies human expectations and makes all things possible. Meanwhile, faith and perseverance are demanded of us.
Sincerely Yours In Christ,
Rev. Vitalis Anyanike
Pastor
