C Cycle – 27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 25

Lk.17:5-10

The prophet Habakkuk voice echoes the plea of every person who is desperately in need of God’s intervention.  Sickness, betrayal, loss of security, death, floods, famines and so much more is and was experienced by every generation.  Currently, violence fills the news every evening. Hope for a better future is gone, and despair is spreading.  War continues between Russia and Ukraine, Israel, and Hammas. 

 Jesus tells us “…in Hm we have peace.  In the world we have tribulation, but he has conquered the world” (Jn.16:33. 

Then why don’t we feel peaceful?  Why do we doubt, experience despair; feel abandoned and alone?  Could it be we doubt God’s goodness, or we have failed to understand the peace Jesus offers us.  Could it be God is answering us but not in a manner we recognize?  Could it be our faith is lacking because we have failed to develop a relationship with God that is intimate, nurturing and trusting?  God did respond to Habakkuk: “the vision has its time, presses on and will not disappoint.”  Perhaps we have failed to understand how God’s promise never to abandon us would be to strengthen us instead of removing the problem.    

What God has promised us that He will hold us in the palm of His hand and never abandon us.  He tells us our emotional, spiritual, and physical strength is limited (Pro.24:10).  We have also failed to seek strength during those times of distress. Failed to draw strength from our mustard sized faith.  We have failed to rely on the Holy Spirit who will strengthen us, enlighten us, and comfort us. We fail to look for the good God promised us would come out of all our struggles.

God has equipped us to handle the trials and tribulations, but we have ignored what God has given us. We falter because we do not take the time to seek the mind of God during those difficult moments in our lives.  God has in the scriptures, lesson after lesson from which we can draw strength and gain insights.  God’s response to Habakkuk is a good example of God providing proof that God has not abandoned him.

Within the story of Peter walking on water, we are given an important lesson of God’s intervention during those storms in our lives. We need to learn how to discover how all scripture is s God’s revelation of Himself and how we are to respond.  In that story Jesus had just fed the five thousand and as the people were returning to their homes.  Jesus went up the mountain alone and the disciples decide to take a boat instead of walking to the other side of the lake.  It is in what happened to them that we can learn something about our response during times of distress.

Remember God told us in psalm 139 how He knows everything about us. He knows when we stand and sit; every thought before we utter a word. There is no thought, action or experience we have that God is not aware of. Before anything happens to us God is aware of it.  

Jesus would have known the disciples were going to be in that boat and the storm would we horrific. He would know they were fearful. They were helpless, knowing the boat was sinking.  Jesus, before they got in the boat could have warned them that the storm was beyond anything they had ever experienced.  He could have calmed the storm at any time.  He could have appeared in the boat with them to calm their fears and give them hope.  But Jesus allowed the storm to rage and at the last minute He waked to them on the water. 

Why? Could it be to teach them He would never abandon them. Could it be He was preparing them for a greater storm which they would face as His witnesses. Could it be Jesus was teaching them and Peter and us a lesson about keeping their eyes on Jesus.  Could it be that the ultimate lesson was how the real lesson is we too are capable of tapping into the power of God and witness miracles in our lives and in the lives of those who are crying out to Jesus.    

Since the scriptures were written for us, could it be a disciple lesson we can apply to our lives today?  Jesus tells us we can ask, seek and we will receive.  Jesus tells us we will do the “…things He did and far greater than those because He is going to the Fahteer” (Jn.14:12). That promise of Jesus is critical for us as disciples.  We can ask in the name of Jesus and it will be done for us (vs.13).  That should fill us with confident assurance as we respond to those who ask us “where is God when we need Him.” 

We are the servants Jesus refers to in today’s gospel.  We need to be toiling in the field, building the Kingdom, nurturing the faith of those who need to be supported during their trials and helping them realize God is still with them.  Boost their faith and help them encounter the God who is always willing to embrace them.  We as disciples must remind all who wonder where God is to depend on the Holy Spirit to all they need to invite the Spirit to increase their faith so we can be heralds of God’s grace.