The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”  The Lord replied, “If you had 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.  “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’?  Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’?  Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?  So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

POINTERS FOR PRAYER

 1. Faith can move mountains…well it can certainly get us moving. Recall a time when you were full of self-doubt, scepticism about a project, or lacking trust in God. What was that like? Contrast this with times when you believed in yourself, or in the value of a project you had undertaken, or when your faith and trust in God were strong. What kind of faith have you found enriched your life?

2. Faith is like a mustard seed—small— and sometimes we may be tempted to wait till our faith grows. Part of the message in the gospel is to use the faith we have, even though it may be small. That is how we grow in belief in ourselves and in God’s presence in our lives. Does your experience back up this?

3. It is nice when what we do is recognised and acknowledged, but the desire for recognition leaves us vulnerable.  It is not always forthcoming. It can be helpful if our main motivation in doing something is the value of the action itself. Have you experienced this?

4. Love is a free gift. What is given lovingly is not given because of a claim. What is your experience of the freedom of love, given and received?

In our day, it is difficult to bear witness, at least in Ireland. The church is long longer held in high regard, the level of general catechesis is low and many adults retain what they learned a children. If you are a practicing Catholic, it can sound slightly weird to our family and friends and social contacts. This is not all negative. It means that those of us still involved have to give an account of the hope in us — first of all to ourselves and then, as appropriate, to people we come in contact with. It is not hard, in any case, to ask: what do I believe and what difference does it make to how I live?

The description of faith as a seed suggest that it must grow.  It is destined to mature into an unselfish relationship with God in which one seeks nothing for self but is totally at the service of God.  The growth of faith unto this unselfish maturity manifests many of the characteristics of personal growth through childhood, adolescence and adulthood.