In today’s Gospel Story (Luke 17:5-10) Jesus’ apostles ask him, “Increase our faith”, something lot of us have asked from time to time. Later in the Story Jesus talks about a master/servant relationship, and hints faith often involves more than just doing what is expected. The majority report sees this Story as a reminder to keep asking for more faith while at the same time we have enough faith to do what a given situation requires of us. Faith seems to be something that can somehow be measured or quantified. For many faith is understood as believing the right things about Jesus, while for others, faith is about believing in Jesus to the extent that our relationship with Jesus really has an impact on our every day living. The minority report might move in a different direction entirely.
The Psalm Verse offers a good background for this: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”. Abba’s voice is always happening. Sometimes we recognize it, and sometimes we don’t. The important thing is to be open. Faith is a gift of Abba that invites us to live in a relationship with him. Since it is a gift, we can accept it or not. Our traditions, liturgies, beliefs all have as their purpose leading us into a relationship with Abba. They point us, and invite us, to enter this relationship. From time to time we may have to let go of the words and go where they point us, and come to experience them on a deeply personal level. Some people just can’t let go, and that is their journey. Faith happens wherever we are. It is intensely personal, but never private. It cannot be measured or quantified. It is not just a matter of believing the right things, keeping a set of rules, judging and condemning any who do not agree with us. It is much more than any given religious tradition, many of which contradict each other, and claim theirs is the only true way.
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed.” Faith, our “dynamic” belief in and relationship with Abba, when we let it, leads us to do good that seems impossible. I have the privilege of knowing a phenomenal woman from a high school group years back. Recently she was caring for her amazing husband who died after a long illness. Now she is caring for her 17 year old son who has had heart problems all his life, and is now recovering from a heart transplant. Meanwhile she is leading her other children in college and high school, and medical issues. She is amazing, a living example of mustard seed size faith doing wonders. I also have the privilege of knowing two other friends who are beginning a ministry of helping relatives on an unexpected and difficult journey of dealing with cancer. Having watched them through other challenging events, it is clear that they have their own versions of mustard seed faith, even though they might not see things this way. I am fortunate to have other friends very much involved in LGBTQ ministry who are living the gospel in their lives, not always using religious terms. Faith happens with or without appropriate religious terms and ideas. Abba is a verb, and very real, very personal, very loving. I am privileged and humbled to know these folks, and maybe even to call them friends.
Faith always involves taking some kind of a chance, not really knowing what we are doing, which is why there are words like “a leap of faith”. It is not a matter of always having answers and knowing what to do. Often it is a matter of moving ahead in darkness, having more questions than answers. Our doubting often is the first step in growing in our relationship and awareness of Abba happening in our life. That’s what it often has been in mine, and I, like many, have been in some pretty dark places. From where I am now, it was all worth it, and I wouldn’t change a thing, something hard to say in the dark times.
Jesus’ apostles in the Story asked for more faith. “Increase our faith” means deepen our relationship. After spending time with him they realized there was something about him that drew them in, and they wanted to go deeper with him. I know in my life I want to go deeper with him. We need to do what his apostles did, spend time with him. A spiritual practice of some kind is necessary, some sort of prayer practice that we are faithful to every day. It helps keep us focused, reminding us that no matter what is going on we are not doing it all by ourselves.
Faith is most practical in that it happens and leads us in our every day living. In our own country these days, the notion of “increase our faith” might have something to say. The terrible suffering, cruelty, anger, violence of all kinds is saying something to us. The easiest way to deal with it all is to scapegoat, blame someone else. If I want to live as Jesus’ disciple I have to ask what is faith saying to me in my here and now? I need to know Jesus Christ in my own life, so deeply and personally that I can help others come to know him in their life. This is a terrifying thought. Yet, this is what my friends mentioned above are doing in their life. No doubt they would disagree with how I see things.
‘If today I hear your voice, harden not my heart.’ I know you are speaking. Often you are saying what I don’t want to hear, so I piously walk, even run, away, or put up some sort of denial, like feeling sorry for myself. Something I need to remember these days is that when I don’t like someone, it is not the actual person, but the image I have of them that I don’t like. I don’t know them as they actually are in Abba’s eyes. This image says more about me than about them. I’m hardening my heart. So I ask, then, please increase my faith. Help me see the folks around me as you see them, and, like my friends above, to let go of my fears and biases and go where you take me. Just sayin . . .