Twenty Seventh Sunday

A number of years ago I was teaching and from time to time we would come across some ingenuity on the part of the pupils - all teenage adolescent boys up to all kinds of mischief.  One of the legendary stories was the English essay – entitled ‘the greatest risk I ever took’.

Faith involves risk – it goes beyond opinion – or saying ‘I believe that’…

An act of faith can apply to many states in life – I think of couples I know where the woman wanted to get married but he was agonising saying ‘I’m not ready, I’m not sure yet.’ Yet there has to be an act of faith, of probability without absolute certainty in certain decisions in life. He got an ultimatum from his future wife:  –‘it’s a step in faith and trust!’

Faith means ‘I believe in’ - God, His Son, the Holy Spirit, what the Church teaches, that faith is about relationship and also out of that personal relationship there are certain consequences.

Fidelity to one person implies fidelity to no one else. Following one path means turning away from others. There are terms and conditions and lived out effects of my career or my identity. I reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises..

Faith is something that is a gift received at baptism but must be nourished. Jesus compares it to a mustard seed – not merely in terms of size but more importantly in terms of its potential, its capacity. Like seeds there must be favourable conditions and timeliness for it to sprout and grow into fullness. The family and especially family prayer is the seed-bed for faith to flourish.

WOW is the acronym for the conditions necessary - Water, Oxygen and Warmth.

The Holy Spirit is compared to water and wind and fire – dew or moisture, wind or air, fire from heaven.

We receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism but also in Confirmation – and at Confirmation the boys and girls stand up and publicly profess the faith for themselves. We forget that we are all bearers of the Holy Spirit - who of we ask Him gives us what we need to ‘increase our faith’. We receive a spirit 'not of timidity but of power, love and self control'. Yet we ignore Him.

Today is the Annual Day for life and nowhere more do we need the courage that the Spirit gives in standing up for the dignity of human life – especially at its most vulnerable stages. Our faith has social consequences. The Holy Spirit gives is the courage to stand up for life.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"