Increase our Faith

Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Many Catholics confess to me (not just in confession but also in spiritual direction and casual conversations) that they feel spiritually inadequate, that their faith seems weak and shaky in their own estimation. That’s the diagnosis of their own spiritual health but many just leave it at that, without going further to seek a remedy or a solution to their condition. Being spiritually weak is just an excuse for not praying, not coming to Church, being undisciplined when it comes to spiritual exercises and also for being caught in a vice of sinful behaviour.

The apostles in today’s gospel passage are at least humble and honest enough to admit that they lack faith and now make this request of the Lord: “increase our faith!” But there is also a dark side to their request. The request itself is made out of ignorance and a lack of proper understanding of what such “faith” entails. They view “faith” as some form of energy or power that is needed for the performance of miracles and to fulfil the heavy demands of discipleship which our Lord had set out in the passages we’ve read in the preceding weeks. So, in their simplistic way of thinking, they are requesting for a booster that can power up their waning spiritual batteries. Our Lord could have simply acceded to their request by charging up their batteries but instead sets about explaining the nature of faith and the duty of a disciple.

Let us first take a look at the first reading, which is taken from the book of the prophet Habakkuk. A prophet speaks when he is needed and he is needed when the people have turned against God and forgotten His precepts. During the time of Habakkuk, everything which could go wrong did go wrong. There was much cheating, injustice, and violence in Israel. There were unrestrained oppressors and helpless victims. There were self-appointed prophets who twisted the word of God to suit their own agendas to gain wealth for themselves. The king of Israel, Jehoiakim forced people to build his own lavish residence with unpaid labour and taxed the people to pay for his military expeditions. The legal system in Judean society was corrupt, and injustice ran rampant. Finally, due to the sin of its leaders and people, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. This entire situation made Habakkuk question his own faith in God. He cries out to God, but God seems deaf to his cries. Even the prophet struggles in his faith. But it is now that God gives him a vision. God has not abandoned His people. God is not sleeping on the job. Justice will come; and in the meantime, the righteous, says Habakkuk, must live by endurance, perseverance and fidelity. In other words, the righteous must live by faith.

If an Old Testament prophet could struggle with his faith in the face of tribulation, what about us Christians? How about the early Christians? We don’t have to speculate as we see the same response from the apostles in today’s gospel. The teachings of Christ are no less easy to follow or less demanding. In fact, our Lord seems to raise the bar. Hence, the request: “increase our faith.”

The response of our Lord, “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you” is not an admonition or putting down the apostles. In Greek, it would have sounded like a Nike slogan, “If you have faith – just DO it!” The apostles already have faith enough to uproot a mulberry tree whose roots are so deep and so strong that they can break rocks beneath the earth’s surface. The real meaning of the words of the Lord is that there is no point speaking about faith as if it is an academic topic nor asking for more of it as if it was a spiritual tonic. The power of faith is fully realised by acting on it. “Just do it!” No more excuses, no more dillydallying, no more hesitation.

And so we see this thread in our readings. The prophet Habakkuk and the apostles, just like all of us, suffer the same thing, they all struggle in their faith. And in both cases, God intervenes and confirms their faith. God does not admonish them for their lack of faith. Instead, God shows that they already have faith. We don’t need a defining moment to receive some superhuman ability or a perfect scenario to act. Through our baptism, we have already received the gift of faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him” (CCC 153). But being a gift from God, it does not preclude human free will and cooperation. “To live, grow and persevere in the faith until the end we must nourish it with the word of God; we must beg the Lord to increase our faith; it must be "working through charity," abounding in hope, and rooted in the faith of the Church” (CCC 162).

We all struggle in our faith and there is no harm or shame in admitting this. The truth is that we are not angels. Every saint struggled in their faith. Every saint has a past and every sinner a future. A mother who gives birth to a child with physical or mental defect will struggle in her faith. Every parent whose son or daughter experiences addiction will struggle in their faith. Anyone who keeps failing when battling addiction constantly will struggle in their faith. A person who suffers due to cancer or an incurable illness will struggle in their faith. A married couple in the brink of divorce or in its aftermath will struggle in their faith. When we experience immense suffering, we will definitely go through a time of struggle in our faith. Every time you witness a scandal in the church, you will struggle in your faith.

It is normal to question our faith in God. God is not offended by our doubts or struggle in faith. He is willing to reassure us, and to stand by us, and to strengthen us. Isaiah reassures us that the Lord will “strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees" (Isa 35:3) We should know that when we struggle in our faith, it means that our Lord is providing us with the opportunity to stretch and grow in our faith. Most people are not aware that when they request the Lord to increase their faith, He will do so not by pumping us with spiritual adrenaline but provide us the training ground for us to build and form stronger spiritual muscles. When we ask Him to increase our faith, we are literally asking Him to send us trials and tribulations. So, beware when you ask for more faith. Your prayers will certainly be answered but not in the way you expect it. Struggling in faith like Habakkuk or the Apostles shows that we are on the right path. It is a sign of growing pangs, of a faith which is alive and continues to burst out of its baby clothes. God will uphold your faith.