03 Oct 2010, Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Hab 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.

Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Responsorial PsalmR.

(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 2
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.'"

Meditation: 2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14

“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power.” (2 Timothy 1:7)


That word, “power,” is translated from the Greek word dunamis, which means ability, abundance, strength, and a mighty (wonderful) work. It’s the same word that gives us the English word dynamite. It’s interesting to see that St. Paul doesn’t contrast this “power” that God has given us with weakness or frailty but with cowardice and fear. Fear weakens. Fear renders us prey to temptation. Fear curbs our potential, saps our vitality, and undermines the confidence we should have in Christ. If we let fear rule us, we will end up going through our days more like a firecracker than dynamite!

So shout it out today: “God has given me a spirit of power, not fear!” If fear lurks in your heart, then know this too: God didn’t put it there. So pull it up by the roots! Name it. Throw as much light on it as you can. Expose it, and watch it wither away.

You don’t have to understand it perfectly. Just pray that the power that this fear has over you will be broken. Then ask the Father to plant his love in your heart instead. The next time that fear tries to return, resist it. Turn your thoughts to the truths of the gospel—the truths of your Father’s love—and hold fast.

Remember: “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). So spend time with God, who is that perfect Love. Let him root out the fear. Let him see and touch everything in your heart. You are not alone; let him help you to overcome. Sit quietly with him, and let him talk to you and fill you with his power. God wants to make you like dynamite in the world, empowering you to spread his message of freedom and salvation wherever you go. So immerse yourself in him, and let him set you free of all your fears.

“Father, break off the hold fear has in my life. Plant your love in my heart instead. I want to be a vessel of your grace and power today.”