SUNDAY, TWENTY SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Hb 1:2-3; 2:2-4 Ps 95 2 Tm 1:6-8,13-14 Lk 17:5-10
FAITH, PERSEVERANCE AND HUMBLE SERVICE
The liturgy of the Word on the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time invites us into a meditation on faith, perseverance, and humble service in the face of confusion, suffering, and the mystery of God’s ways. In the first reading from the prophet Habakkuk, we hear the anguished cry of the prophet: “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?” Habakkuk’s world is full of injustice, violence, and unanswered prayers. He is troubled not only by the evil around him but by God’s apparent silence and the perplexing reality that God will use an even more wicked nation, Babylon, as an instrument of judgment. Habakkuk’s honest questioning is met not with a clear explanation but with a call to faithful waiting: “The righteous person will live by their faith.” God assures him that justice will come, though it may seem delayed, and that His purposes are unfolding even when they are not immediately visible. This message is most relevant in our own times, when we, too, are tempted to despair at the injustice and suffering in the world and wonder where God is in the midst of it all.
St. Paul’s words to Timothy in his second letter, echo this call to faithfulness. Timothy is urged to “fan into flame the gift of God which is not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control.” Paul exhorts him not to be ashamed of testifying about the Lord, nor of himself, who is suffering for the gospel. Instead, he is to join in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. Paul reminds Timothy to “hold to the standard of sound teaching” and to “guard the good treasure entrusted to him, with the help of the Holy Spirit.” Here, faith is not passive resignation but active perseverance; it is a courageous holding fast to truth and love, even when the cost is high. Paul’s exhortation is a reminder that the Christian life often involves hardship, but we are sustained by the Spirit and by the example of those who have gone before us.
In the passage from the Gospel of Luke, the apostles, recognizing the challenge of following Jesus, plead before Him, “Increase our faith!” Jesus responds that even faith as small as a mustard seed can accomplish great things. He then tells a parable about a servant who, after doing all that is required, should not expect special praise but simply say, “We have done only what we ought to have done.” Here, Jesus reframes faith not as a matter of quantity but of trustful obedience and humble service. True faith is not about performing miraculous feats or earning God’s favour; it is about faithfully fulfilling our calling, trusting that God is at work even in the ordinary and the difficult.
Today, we are invited to earnestly strive towards cultivating a mature, robust faith; that is, a faith that wrestles honestly with God in times of confusion and suffering, that perseveres in love and truth, and that serves humbly without seeking recognition. Habakkuk teaches us to bring our honest questions to God and to wait with hope, trusting that God’s justice and mercy will ultimately prevail. Paul encourages us to guard the faith entrusted to us and to rely on the Spirit’s power in times of trial. Jesus reminds us that faith is not about spiritual heroics but about daily, humble obedience. The world of today often rewards pride, encourages self-promotion, and offers quick fixes to the problems of life. Today’s readings however, exhort us to a different path: to live by faith, to persevere in hope, and to serve with humility. When we are overwhelmed by the world’s brokenness or our own limitations, we remember that God’s purposes are unfolding in ways we may not see, and that even the smallest acts of faithfulness matter in His kingdom. May we, like Habakkuk, Paul, and the apostles, continue to seek God, trust His timing, and serve Him with steadfast hearts.
Response: O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.
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