1Reflection for November 8, Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 17:1-6

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:

The story is told about a woman who 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 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 who is always full of himself. 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