Faith In Me

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081217.cfm) reminds me that God has faith in me. 

God sees us a lot better than we see ourselves. 

God sees not only our past or current state, but more importantly, he sees what we can become if we allow Him to work in and through us. He sees not only the challenges and sins, but also the goodness in us.

We see this in the gospel. The disciples were not able to heal a boy because if their lack of faith. Jesus stepped in and healed the boy. However, he did not stop there. He also worked on the disciples. He guided the disciples so they can improve their faith and relationship with God. He sees them not just for what they are at the moment, but sees what they can become and continued to use them. 

This is how God sees us. 

Jesus told them that having faith the size of a mustard seed can not only heal the boy, but move mountains. Really, that small faith is enough?

I used to think that yes, that probably is enough. But what I discovered is that it becomes enough not because the requirement is small, but because of God.

God has faith in us! 

It is his faith in us that increases the power of our little faith. It is his faith in us, our capacity to do good, our capacity to do great things through him, our capacity to love and to forgive, that enables us to do so, to move mountains, to forgive others even when we are deeply hurt, to love others the way Jesus wants us to. God adds to our faith. He fills our small and lacking faith. Yes, I believe that it is not just our faith, but God’s faith in us, that enables our mustard seed sized faith to do great things.

May we not be disheartened by our little faith. May we pray that God increase our faith. And may we feel blessed and special, knowing that God sees us not just for what we are right now, but for what we can become through him. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. thank you for another weekend. Thank you for all the blessings you have been giving me. Lord, sorry for not having faith in you. And sorry for seeing myself as a small, insignificant person.  I pray that you continue to increase my faith in you. And while you are in the process of increasing my faith, I ask that you continue to complement my faith, and continue to have faith in me. Your faith in me increases the power of my little faith, and I pray that as I continuously experience your love and faith in me, my faith will slowly and eventually increase as well. I also ask that you help me see myself the way you see me. Improve me and help me reach my full potential so I can love and serve you the best way zi can. Amen. 

Blessed weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

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August 12, 2017
Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 412

Reading 1DT 6:4-13

Moses said to the people:
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign
and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

"When the LORD, your God, brings you into the land which he swore
to your fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
that he would give you,
a land with fine, large cities that you did not build,
with houses full of goods of all sorts that you did not garner,
with cisterns that you did not dig,
with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant;
and when, therefore, you eat your fill,
take care not to forget the LORD,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
The LORD, your God, shall you fear;
him shall you serve, and by his name shall you swear."

Responsorial PsalmPS 18:2-3A, 3BC-4, 47 AND 51

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim!
And I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock!
Extolled be God my savior!
You who gave great victories to your king,
and showed kindness to your anointed,
to David and his posterity forever.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

AlleluiaSEE 2 TM 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 17:14-20

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said,
"Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely;
often he falls into fire, and often into water.
I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him."
Jesus said in reply,
"O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? 
Bring the boy here to me."
Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him,
and from that hour the boy was cured.
Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said,
"Why could we not drive it out?"
He said to them, "Because of your little faith.
Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain,
'Move from here to there,' and it will move.

Nothing will be impossible for you."