If you have faith the size of a mustard seed

6 OCTOBER (Lk 17,5-10)

Faith must be sung, told, narrated, preached and proclaimed to the four winds. It is the only life in death, power in weakness, light in darkness, wisdom in folly, truth in error and certainty in the endless confusion of man. In the Old Testament one of the most beautiful songs of faith is undoubtedly that of Habakkuk.

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. Wealth, too, is treacherous: the proud, unstable man – He who opens wide his throat like the nether world, and is insatiable as death, Who gathers to himself all the nations, and rallies to himself all the peoples – Shall not all these take up a taunt against him, satire and epigrams about him, to say: Woe to him who stores up what is not his: how long can it last! he loads himself down with debts. Shall not your creditors rise suddenly? Shall not they who make you tremble awake? You shall become their spoil! Because you despoiled many peoples all the rest of the nations shall despoil you; Because of men’s blood shed, and violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell in it.
Woe to him who pursues evil gain for his household, setting his nest on high to escape the reach of misfortune! You have devised shame for your household, cutting off many peoples, forfeiting your own life: For the stone in the wall shall cry out, and the beam in the woodwork shall answer it! Woe to him who builds a city by bloodshed, and establishes a town by wickedness! Is not this from the Lord of hosts: peoples toil for the flames, and nations grow weary for nought! But the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory as water covers the sea. Woe to you who give your neighbors a flood of your wrath to drink, and make them drunk, till their nakedness is seen! You are filled with shame instead of glory; drink, you too, and stagger! On you shall revert the cup from the Lord’s right hand, and utter shame on your glory. For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover you, and the destruction of the beasts shall terrify you; Because of men’s blood shed, and violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell in it. Woe to him who says to wood, “Awake!” to dumb stone, “Arise!” Can such a thing give oracles? See, it is overlaid with gold and silver, but there is no life breath in it. Of what avail is the carved image, that its maker should carve it? Or the molten image and lying oracle, that its very maker should trust in it, and make dumb idols? But the Lord is in his holy temple; silence before him, all the earth! (Hab 2,1-20).

The song of Habakkuk on faith reveals to us a truth that is a comfort in all human despair. Never might the evil, the wicked and the operator of iniquity prevail. He will be destroyed by the Lord. While faith is the life of the righteous. However, provided that he lives from faith to faith, growing in it for all the days of his life.

And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to (this) mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'”

With Jesus, the faith becomes the instrument for the government of history. The bullies of this world are not the ones to govern history, but those who will have faith as much as a grain of mustard. It is this in small and almost invisible faith that the Lord placed the life of the universe. The mulberry tree is the symbol of what is motionless, static, well rooted and not modifiable. Faith changes all this and gives a new direction to everything. Nothing might ever escape obedience to the one who has faith. The man of faith is always able to create a new future. God clothes this man of his creative, saving, redeeming, justifying and innovative omnipotence.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints fill us of perfect faith.