October 6, 2013 –– Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Hb 1: 2-3; 2: 2-4; Ps 95: 1-2, 6-9; 2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk 17: 5-10
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6) As is the case with Jesus’ statements almost always, there is a stewardship message here.
Most of us are aware that a mustard seed is incredibly small; in fact, it was one of the smallest seeds known in Jesus’ earthly world. The mulberry tree, on the other hand, was known to have a vast and large network of roots which spread far out from the trunk of the tree.
Jesus’ point is that faith cannot be measured by size or depth. It is as if He is saying that the key is quality, not quantity. It is not the size of one’s faith, but its presence, and the willingness of each person to rely on that faith in trying times.
One of the most important facets of stewardship is trust in God. It is that trust –– a trust built on faith –– which gives us the strength to follow lives of stewardship and service. What Jesus is saying at the end of today’s Gospel, “…we have done what we were obliged to do,” is that service, another important part of stewardship, should be a privilege, not a burden.
