Oct 6 2019 Reflection
Sunday 6 October 2019
First Reading: HAB 1:2-3; 2:2-4
Responsorial Psalm:
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Second Reading: 2 TM 1:6-8, 13-14
Gospel Reading: LK 17:5-10
Today’s Note: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel Reading:
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.
“Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?
Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished’?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, ‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'”
Reflection:
If it delays, wait for it. (Habakkuk 2:3)
Nobody likes to wait. Whether we are waiting for a traffic light to turn green or awaiting the birth of a child, time seems to drag. Even if we tell ourselves that our wait will soon be over, we still feel eager for everything to hurry up.
This must be how the prophet Habakkuk felt as he looked out at his beloved city, Jerusalem. The Babylonian army had defeated Egypt, and the people knew they were next on the list. Added to the threat of war was the moral and religious state of the city. Weak kings continued to make and break alliances with pagan nations, worship of false gods was on the rise, and the rich and powerful continued to exploit the poor and weak. “How long, O Lord?” Habakkuk pleaded. He felt surrounded by “destruction and violence . . . ; strife, and clamorous discord” (1:2, 3). And God seemed to be nowhere in sight.
You know how that feels, don’t you? A child has turned away from the Church, and you long to see her find her way home. A friend is not returning your calls, and you wonder what you did wrong. Violence against the weak, the unborn, and the foreigner is increasing, and you don’t know if God will ever put an end to it. Sometimes it just hurts to have to wait for a resolution.
If this describes you, then know that God has a word for you—the same word he gave to Habakkuk: “The vision still has its time” (2:3). God’s vision, his plan, is still unfolding. He is not standing by helplessly, watching you struggle. Try your best to hold on; put your faith in his love and his mercy. Even if it seems to be taking forever, don’t give up. God still loves you. He will always love you.
God promised Habakkuk that those who hold onto their faith in him “shall live” (Habakkuk 2:4). That includes you.
“Lord Jesus, I believe in your love and mercy. Come and teach me how to wait in faith!”
