Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s first reading we have a passage from the prophet Habakkuk. This is one of the shortest books in the entire Bible, composed of only three chapters. Habakkuk wrote during a tumultuous time for Judah—Babylon was breathing down its neck, winning decisive victories all around its borders. It wouldn’t be long before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity in 597 BC.
The opening of the prophecy is a fascinating exchange between Habakkuk and God. The prophet challenges God to respond to the unjust situation in Judah. The king (the “he” in verse 15 and following) has caused havoc in Judah. When God responds, he assures Habakkuk and the people that faith will save the just (Hab 2:4).
We see that the question of faith is also central in today’s gospel. The disciples cannot do what God does because of their lack of faith (Mt 17:20).
But faith isn’t as simple as “believing in things unseen.” And it surely isn’t “blind.” Faith is a theological virtue (along with hope and love). That means that it is a gift from God that must be cultivated in us. Faith describes a relationship with God, a relationship first initiated by God in His covenant with Abraham and reaching its fulfillment in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Insofar as we accept and cultivate this relationship, we begin to see the world as God sees the world, if only in fuzzy glimpses. This is the answer to Habakkuk’s lament. Because of his relationship with God, the just and faithful person will live—the one who knows that God is just and has the patience to wait for justice. This is the mustard seed that will be able to move mountains.
Let us pray that God may increase His gift of faith in us, so that we will be able to see Christ in others—from our next door neighbor to the homeless in Dayton.
- Tim Gabrielli