faith despite the ineptness of the church: 18th week saturday 2012 II

For the Jews, a person who can solve intricate problems, a person who can come up with solutions to difficulties, is oftentimes called an up-rooter of mountains or one who pulverizes the mountains.  It is an expression used by Jews in Jesus’ time to describe one who removes difficulties.

In our gospel today Jesus says that faith even the size of a mustard seed can resolve even the most complicated issues, it can find solutions to difficulties, and it can straighten out problems.  Faith in God is the instrument which enables men and women to remove the difficulties that block their way.

This was the faith of the boy’s father.  He persisted in his belief even though the apostles who were given authority to cast out devils failed to do so.  He did not give up.  He went to Jesus himself.  This is one admirable quality of so many of our lay people today who never give up on Jesus even when the disciples and apostles are failures.  Because frustrated as boy's father was with the powerlessness and ineptness of the apostles, he did not give up but went to Jesus himself.  Most probably this is the feeling too of ordinary Christians frustrated many times by the disciples of Christ, who cannot answer their needs, who are at times powerless and many times inept.   Probably they would have wanted to go beyond us in order to reach Jesus himself from whom they can receive the things that they need.

It is an indictment to us priests and religious and yet it is also a challenge for us to do the work of Christ better.