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Psalm 18: 2-3a, 3bc-4, 47 and 51 “…I love you, Lord, my strength...” Matthew 17: 14-20 “…‘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.” Memorial of Saint Dominic. (1170 to 1221) Founded the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in 1215. He was a contemplative who spent his life in active apostolic work. He sensed a need to restore Church teachings and combat the heresy of Albigensianism, which denied the Incarnation and sacraments because they believed all matter was evil. St. Dominic was able to connect with the everyday ordinary people by presenting himself in their same socio-economic status. The ordinary people came to see the problem with the heresy, but to some of the elites, Dominic’s look was too common. Today’s message in the readings hit home in a particular way. I felt like Moses pulled me aside and spoke to me in my generation, reminding me to keep God first. It was remarkable in another way, as I saw how little we change from one generation to the next. The message could so easily have been written to our generation as we live and move seemingly without stopping so much of the time. We need the encouragement to teach our children, and keep the thought in front of ourselves, on our wrists, or on our foreheads. The message was so practical and down to earth; I really felt like I could relate and apply it to my life today as I worry I’m supposed to fix the world I live in by myself. Another dimension of the message also seemed practical for each generation. In Deuteronomy, when the LORD delivers the people to the promised land, where everything will be already built and in good shape He tells them not to forget the LORD, or from where they have come. I think it is human nature to forget when life gets easier. It is why we have to remind each generation of the tough times, and of how far we can move from our Creator’s Will if we forget to include him in our daily lives, to live in Christ. In the Gospel reading, Jesus is teaching on the same subject, for how does our Faith really grow, except to let our relationship with God grow. The disciples are surprised when they can not dislodge the demon from a man’s son, but Jesus does so with no trouble. So, they ask him why and he tells 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.” (Matthew 17:20-21). We make these same errors in judgment today; and I am grateful for the small reminders, that come in the form of Scripture, or even in the form of trouble. So, today we are reminded to grow in Faith by loving the LORD God with our whole hearts, with our whole soul and with all our strength; pretty simple. May we continue to see the little reminders that come our way, when our day, our life doesn’t quite go the way we’d like it to go; for nothing about life is impossible for those who have Faith. God Bless all of us on the planet. |