Are we believers?
Jesus had repeated to them on various occasions: “O you of little faith!” The disciples do not object. They know he is right. They have been with him for quite some time. They see him completely committed to God’s Plan; he only thinks of doing good; he only lives to make everybody’s life more dignified and befitting human beings. Will they be able to follow him till the end?
According to Luke, the disciples say to Jesus at one point, “Increase our faith.” They feel their faith is little and weak. They need to trust in God more and believe in Jesus more. They do not understand him very well, but they do not discuss things with him. They do exactly what is most important—ask him for help, so that he may make their faith grow.
The religious crisis of our day is no respecter even of religious practitioners. We speak of believers and non-believers as though they were two well-defined groups: some have faith, others do not. In fact, it is not so. Almost always, there is in the human heart a believer and a non-believer at one and the same time. Hence, we, too, who call ourselves “Christians” have to ask: Are we really believers? Who is God to us? Do we love him? Is he the one guiding our life?
Our faith can weaken even without any doubt ever assailing us. If we do not take care of it, the faith can little by little be diluted within us in such a way that it is reduced simply to a custom that we do not dare leave behind just in case. Distracted by a thousand things, we can no longer figure out how to communicate with God. We practically live without him.
What can we do? In reality, great things are not needed. It is no use to make extraordinary resolutions, for we surely are not going to keep them. The first thing is to pray like the stranger who one day approached Jesus and said to him: “I do believe, Lord, help my unbelief.” It is good to repeat these words with simplicity of heart. God understands us. He will awaken our faith.
We should not speak with God as if he were outside us. He is within. The best thing is to close our eyes and remain silent in order to feel and welcome his Presence. We must not engage either in thinking he is only in our head. He is in the innermost and most intimate part of our being. We have to look for him in our heart.
What is important is to be insistent until we have a first experience, as poor as it may be, even if it may only last for a few moments. If one day we sense that we are not alone in life, if we grasp that we are loved by God without deserving it, everything will change. It does not matter that in life we have been forgetful of him. To believe in God is, first and foremost, to trust in the love he has for us.
José Antonio Pagola
October 6, 2013
27 Ordinary Time (C)
Luke 17, 5-10