October 2, 2022
Revised Common Lectionary
Lamentations 1:1-6 or Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Lamentations 3:19-26 or Psalm 137 or Psalm 37:1-9
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Luke 17:5-10
Lectionary for Mass (RC)
Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (8)
2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14
Luke 17:5-10
Newscasts are sometimes hard to hear. There are so many unsettling reports each day—nations fighting one another, warring factions within countries, racially motivated shootings, abuse of migrants, new infectious diseases, natural disasters, political intransigence, and election denial. People seem so often to be shouting over one another rather than working for solutions. It can all feel overwhelming. Little wonder that some people choose to limit their exposure to these disturbing reports.
Residents of Judah at the time of the prophet Habakkuk undoubtedly felt an overwhelming sense of gloom as they heard news of their own situation. Their nation was veering way off course and the powerful Chaldeans presented a looming threat. In the passage we hear today, the prophet questions God’s seeming indifference to their plight: “Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise” (Hab 1:3).
This accusatory outcry aimed at God by Habakkuk could just as easily be our prayer as we hear news reports today. We wonder not only why God is silent in the midst of strife, but whether our efforts to support goodness and truth really make any difference.
God responds to Habakkuk’s complaint with a call to trust: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay” (Hab 2:2-3). Even when we hear news that feels gut wrenching, God assures us that there is indeed a vision—and that God will ultimately bring it to fulfillment. Although we may not be able see the end, we are called to wait for it.
Today’s passage from Habakkuk concludes by saying that “the righteous live by their faith” (Hab 2:4). This kind of faith is not so much intellectual assent as it is a willingness to live by the vision that God has promised, even when prospects seem bleak.
In today’s Gospel reading, the apostles haven’t been listening to the news, but they have been listening to Jesus. As he has spelled out ever more clearly the seemingly impossible demands involved in following him, it should come as no surprise that they asked him, “Increase our faith!” (Lk 17:5)
His reply might be interpreted as a reproach: “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” (Lk 17:6). But Jesus’ response may instead be understood as a word of encouragement: All you need is just a little faith to move mountains, so don’t be discouraged. You’ve got this.
As in Habakkuk, Luke presents faith not so much as a set of propositional beliefs as a lived response, a willingness to carry on even though we can’t see the outcome. Jesus uses the example of servants working in the field to illustrate his point. To live by faith is to perform our duties, to continue our work, and to trust that following Jesus is worth the cost. We are servants of God’s reign, not its architects.
Faith is expressed in faithfulness. We can take as examples those who do their duty each day, trusting that God is faithful and will bring about good in the end. We know spouses who devote themselves to the care of an ailing partner or parents whose energy is directed toward a child with special needs. Whatever our life situation, whatever our calling in life, we have all received the gift of faith, that tiny mustard seed that strengthens us to live faithfully each day. “For there is still a vision for the appointed time” (Hab 2:2). Wait for it, and keep on going.
A Hymn for Today: “Si tuvieras fe / If You Only Had Faith”
This lively and engaging chorus is based on a verse from today’s Gospel reading, Luke 17:6 (also Matthew 17:20), and originated in Spanish speaking Caribbean Pentecostal communities. It was translated into English by the Argentine theologian and hymn writer Pablo Sosa, FHS, and appears in several North American hymnals in an arrangement by Jorge Lockward. Listen to a recording in Spanish here or in English here.
Si tuvieras fe como un granito de mostaza:
eso lo dice el Señor.
Si tuvieras fe como un granito de mostaza:
eso lo dice el Señor.
Tú le dirías a esa montaña:
¡muévete, muévete!
Tú le dirías a esa montaña:
¡muévete muévete!
Y la montaña se moverá,
se moverá, se moverá.
Y la montaña se moverá,
se moverá, se moverá.
If you only had faith,
just like a little seed of mustard:
this is what Jesus has said.
If you only had faith,
just like a little seed of mustard:
this is what Jesus has said.
You would be able to tell this mountain:
Move away! Move away!
You would be able to tell this mountain:
Move away! Move away!
And then the mountain will move away,
will move away, will move away.
And then the mountain will move away,’
will move away, will move away.
Text: Caribbean Pentecostal chorus; English trans. Pablo Sosa, 1933-2020
Tune: Caribbean Pentecostal chorus, transcr. and harm. Jorge Lockward, b. 1965
Image Credit: Power of Love, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Admin., 2015
“Word and Song: A Lectionary Reflection” is written by the Executive Director of The Hymn Society, Rev. Dr. Mike McMahon. For his full bio, click here and scroll down to the “staff” section.
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