Faith In Me

The WORD today (see http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081118.cfm) reminds me that God has a lot of 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 of 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.

Do I have faith in God? When? Do I trust Him even during difficult situations, or only on the easy ones? Do I know God has faith in me also, and sees me not only for what I am now, but for what I can become? What does he want to tell me today? 

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 I can. Amen. 

Blessed Weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

August 11, 2018

Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 412

Reading 1 HAB 1:12—2:4

Are you not from eternity, O LORD,
my holy God, immortal?
O LORD, you have marked him for judgment,
O Rock, you have readied him punishment!
Too pure are your eyes to look upon evil,
and the sight of misery you cannot endure.
Why, then, do you gaze on the faithless in silence
while the wicked man devours
one more just than himself?
You have made man like the fish of the sea,
like creeping things without a ruler.
He brings them all up with his hook,
he hauls them away with his net,
He gathers them in his seine;
and so he rejoices and exults.
Therefore he sacrifices to his net,
and burns incense to his seine;
for thanks to them his portion is generous,
and his repast sumptuous.
Shall he, then, keep on brandishing his sword
to slay peoples without mercy?

I will stand at my guard post,
and station myself upon the rampart,
And keep watch to see what he will say to me,
and what answer he will give to my complaint.

Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision
Clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
If it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash man has no integrity;
but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.

Responsorial Psalm PS 9:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

R. (11b) You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.
The LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with justice;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of distress.
They trust in you who cherish your name,
for you forsake not those who seek you, O LORD.
R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.
Sing praise to the LORD enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations his deeds;
For the avenger of blood has remembered;
he has not forgotten the cry of the poor.
R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.

Alleluia SEE 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.

Gospel MT 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."