Daily Gospel Reflection for October 2, 2016 - Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Gospel: Luke 17, 5-10 - Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

I consider myself a woman of faith. Why is it then that I cannot say to even one little weed in my garden, “Be uprooted” and have it disappear? Because our God is not a god of magicians or of self-serving gardeners.

This, however, does not mean that through faith we won’t be able to do some incredible things. On the contrary, by faith we will accomplish amazing feats.

We will be able to rise in the morning and serve those endearing though often ungrateful rugrats that require so much of our time and attention. And we will still have enough to give to our co-workers and friends who call on us for help. That love and devotion will again multiple when our spouse comes home from work, exhausted and in need of replenishment. At the end of the day, when reflecting back, we will wonder how we were able to give to this point of exhaustion. Faith carried us through.

When life gets difficult, problems arise that have no answers, illness occurs that may have no cure, suffering falls upon us that has no end in sight, we wonder how we will survive. Faith will carry us through.

Then, in that moment, when all seems right with the world, when the children are loving to one another, blessings are flowing forth from our work, and all those who are dear to us are well and happy, we wonder what we did to deserve such happiness on earth. Nothing; we did nothing but live by faith.

Ponder:

What is one way that I can share my faith in action with someone else today?

Pray:

Lord Jesus, increase my faith. Then help me share my faith and its fruits with others. Amen.

Copyright 2016 Kelly Guest

Kelly has been a Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia in Nashville, an education coordinator for a Catholic Charities' program for pregnant teens, a middle school teacher, a director of religious education and is now a youth minister. Her most challenging and rewarding calling, though, is wife and mother of ten children. What she has learned, she blogs at CatholicMom.com.