Gospel: Luke
17:1-6
Jesus
said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but
woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a
millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him
to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother
sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven
times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,' you
should forgive him."
And 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."
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Reflection:
A woman
wants her faith to increase she practically did everything to have it. She went
to church regularly, read the bible and she did a devotion to the blessed
Mother. However, she noticed that her faith did not increase.
She even
shouted, “Increase my faith O Lord” but there was no increase in her faith. In
fact she noticed that her faith was actually diminishing because she was more
trusting on herself than the Good Lord. Why?
For the simple reason that she remained arrogant towards her relatives
and friends. She always wants to have her way in everything that she does: in
short there was no change in her egotistical behavior.
What must
we do then for us to have an increase in our faith? We must be humble at all times,
before God and before our fellowmen. We must trust God more than we trust
ourselves. We attract graces (including the grace of faith) if we are humble
and if we bow our heads before God.
When
we’re humble and more trusting in God it simply means that we’re opening
ourselves for heavenly graces. That God pours to those who are always ready to
accept it with humility. What happens if we’re arrogant and we trust more on
ourselves? We’re shutting ourselves from God blessings, that’s how plain and
simple it is.
We cannot
anymore fill a glass full of water, this is the arrogant and self-trusting
person but we can certainly pour more water to a half-empty glass, this is the
person who trusts and humbles himself before God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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