today's readings are Habbakuk 1: 2-3, 2: 2-4; Psalm 95; 2nd Tim. 1: 6-8, 13-14; and Luke 17: 5-10
This past Monday and Tuesday, while on vacation, I was able to visit St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. That glorious church, built under the inspiration and direction of St. Brother Andre of Montreal, is a magnificent and prayerful sacred space. Pilgrims from all over the world come to visit St. Joseph’s, bringing their prayers and petitions. As I noticed many of the people who were there, I began to ask myself about each one, “I wonder what that person is praying for?” While I could not be 100% sure, I am confident that many of those present, inspired by the stories of the countless healing miracles that occurred in Brother Andre’s ministry, and even after his death through his intercessions, were there praying for healing, for themselves, or even more likely, a loved one.
Now, while you most likely weren’t in St. Joseph’s Oratory this week to pray, I do trust that all of you prayed this past week. When you did pray, what did you ask for? I realize that you may have prayed a form of prayer in which you don’t ask for things – like when you pray with a passage from the Bible, or when you pray in thanksgiving for something like a beautiful sunset. But there are many times when we pray that we do ask for things of our God. Which is good, and Jesus tells us to do so (Matthew 7). So, what did you ask for? First, I hope you prayed for the well-being of your loved ones. I also hope you prayed for good causes, like peace. I hope you prayed for yourself. While I was at St. Joseph’s Oratory, I prayed for you, and I prayed for family and friends near and dear to me. But I also prayed for something else – a prayer I haven’t prayed often enough, I must admit - a prayer reminiscent of what we heard at the beginning of today’s gospel. That prayer was, “Lord, increase my faith!”
Some may ask why I, as a priest, would ask that my faith increase. Oh, let me count the reasons – which are endless. One thing for sure, if my faith increases, then I will be a better person, a better priest, and better in my ministry. Which would be good for me, good for you, and good for our parish. And God in heaven would also exclaim, “This is good!” Truly it would be a win-win scenario.
Now ask yourself – what would happen to you if your faith increased? Hold on - before that I should ask – do you want your faith to increase? I sure hope so! If it did increase, how would that impact you? What changes would happen to you? I dare say that you would be a better person and those around you be better for it too. Even the way that you deal with challenging situations in your lives would be better.
Today the universal church honours the life of a young woman who had no problem repeatedly asking God for her faith to increase - St. Therese of Lisieux. Marie Francoise-Therese Martin was born in France in 1873. At the age of 15, she entered the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in the town of Lisieux. Tragically, she died from tuberculosis 9 years later, at the age of 24. But in those 9 years with the Carmelites, as her faith continued to grow, she developed a way of faith, a way of living that would become known as “the little way”. Therese’s philosophy was that as a Christian, what was important was not doing great works, but doing little things with the power of love. She lived each day with the awareness everything she did with love was valued by God. These “trifles”, she dared to say, pleased Jesus more than great deeds of recognized holiness. It was in the ordinary circumstances of daily life that anyone could make such a difference. She developed a beautiful understanding that every day, every moment was an opportunity to act lovingly, even in the most mundane tasks and occurrences.
St. Therese summed up this thought wonderfully in her poem “The eternal today”:
My life is an instant, an hour which passes by.
My life is a moment in which I have no power to stay.
You know, O my God, that to love you here on earth – I have only today.
My dear people, life is a gift. Every day we have here on earth is a gift. Our being present here together in this mass is a gift. And our faith is a gift. To appreciate it more, to treasure it more, and to live it more, just like St. Therese did, just like the Apostles did in our gospel, let us all pray to our God, “Lord, increase our faith”.