Use your faith!

Luke 17:1-6

17 1-2 He said to his disciples, “Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time!

3-4 “Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.”

5 The apostles came up and said to the Master, “Give us more faith.”

6 But the Master said, “You don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.

Food for thought!

(i) Two things: Hard trials and temptations are bound to come; but none of Jesus' disciples should be their cause. What Jesus says is that it is impossible to construct a world with no temptations; there's nothing like a problem free world, but woe to that man or women who teaches another to sin or who takes away another's innocence. Sinning is bad and should be avoided. But teaching others to sin, should doubly be avoided.

A story. An old man who was dying. Something was obviously worrying him. At last he said what it was. "When I was a young boy," he said, "I often played at a road junction. Nearby was sign-post indicating the directions at the junction. I remember one day twisting it round in its socket, thus altering the arms and making them point in the wrong direction; and I've been wondering ever since how many travelers I sent on the wrong road."

God will not hold anyone guiltless, who, on the road of life, sends others on the wrong way.

(ii) On the contrary, we must always do our best to rescue all those who are going down the wrong path. This is why, if anyone comes to us and asks us to forgive them, don't hesitate to forgive them. When you do so, you save yourself and the person from going on the wrong road.

The apostles came up and said to the Master, “Give us more faith.”

Jesus' response is that we don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. It is about having or not faith. It means even that which looks completely impossible becomes possible, if it is approached with faith.

Many of us have faith but we don't put it to use. Faith is a force we have but rarely use.  If we approach a thing saying, "It can't be done," it will not; if we approach it saying, "It must be done," it will. Facing each task with the determination to do the job to the very best of our ability can bring something positive to the actual doing and a solid feeling of accomplishment after the job is completed.