Reading I
Hb 1:2-3;
2:2-4
How long, O LORD? I cry for help
but you do not listen!
I cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not intervene.
Why do you let me see ruin;
why must I look at misery?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and clamorous discord.
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 one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.
Responsorial
Psalm
Ps 95:1-2,
6-7, 8-9
R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading II
2 Tm
1:6-8, 13-14
Beloved:
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.
Gospel
Lk 17:5-10
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.'"
Today’s First Reading from the prophet Habakkuk mimics a what has come to be known as a complaint psalm, where cries of help go out to God and a divine response is received. Habakkuk complains that there is no justice in his land because basic human rights are constantly being violated. The prophet is troubled at the disorder and lawlessness but even more so at God’s apparent unwillingness to act. The Lord responds to the please of the prophet and reassures him that because of their trust in God, the just will prevail event through the perilous and confusing times that lie ahead.
In the Second Reading, Paul extends an invitation to rekindle the fire of God’s gifts. Rekindling the Divine Charisms enable others to carry on the mission entrusted to the apostles. Days will come when Timothy will face hardships and he must endure in the faith just as Paul has endured many hardships. Although the letter is addressed to Timothy, it is an invitation to all Christians who suffer hardships with and for Christ and who even die for him. Faith and fidelity in Christ will ultimately be rewarded with victory.
Today’s Gospel
Reading takes place as Jesus and the disciples make their way to
In 1994 my family and I went through some very difficult times. Up until that year, we were very “well-off” as some would say, and had no shortage of friends. However, as soon as we fell on some hard times most of our so called friends quickly left our side. Not many stuck it out with us but one thing is for sure the Lord never abandoned us for a single minute. Our so called friends surely didn’t have any faith in us and therefore went looking somewhere else. Our faith though, little as it was, helped us get through those very difficult and sometimes even dark times. Today’s liturgy calls out for an increase in faith but we must have caution, for faith is a gift that oftentimes comes unexpectedly though hardships and even suffering.
The disciples were correct in asking for faith because eventually they would find themselves in times of darkness and doubt. Only steadfast faith in the Lord can bring anyone out of such situation. The problem is that all too often those who have gone through such events and prevailed because of faith will discover in themselves the desire for greater commitment to the Lord. That is a wonderful consequence of faith through dark times. However, our humanness can also lead us to eventually become complacent or to seek recognition for whatever faithful service we may provide to the Lord. In this sense the second part of the today’s Gospel reading comes into play. We must not assume that anything we do is worthy of any praise, and our service does not guarantee us a preferential place with the Lord.
New American Bible; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Schokel, Alonso, L. and J. L. Sicre Diaz, “Profetas II”; Boadt, L., “Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Nahum”; Brownlee, W. H., “The Midrash Pesher of Habakkuk”; Barrett, C. K. “The Pastoral Epistles”; Hanson, A. T. “The Pastoral Epistles”; Fitzmyer, J. A., “TheGospel According to Luke”; LaVerdiere, E., “Luke”; Maddox, R., “The Purpose of Luke-Acts”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary".
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa