"Hear the Word!" by Bill Ayres: Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the book of the Prophet Habakkuk
(Chapter 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 see misery?” Habakkuk was one of the 12 minor prophets of Israel and, like most, he was speaking in a time of oppression by a foreign power. God answers him: “For the vision still has its time, presses on to its fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.”
 
This was written thousands of years ago, but it has meaning for us today even though our situation is not so challenging. Or is it? Perhaps there are times when we can identify with this ancient man’s cry. Not that we have to deal with hostile Babylonians, but maybe we have troubles with our health, our family, or our work. We still can rely on God’s promise of ultimate salvation.
 
Responsorial Psalm
(Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9)
 
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart.” How and where can we hear the voice of God? Sometimes it is at prayer, at our Eucharistic celebration, in nature, or any time when we speak to a loved one or look into her or his eyes. Or, it may be in times of stress, danger or disappointment. But we can truly hear God’s voice only if we have open, not hardened hearts.
 
A reading from second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy
(Chapter 1:6-8, 13-14)
 
Paul is writing from prison to his disciple Timothy who is now also a pastor. Paul tells Timothy that “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control…. Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God…. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.”
 
How can we reach God with our prayers when God is “out there” somewhere beyond our reach? Only with the help of the “Holy Spirit that dwells within us,” that is not “out there.” Do you believe that? Do you believe that the Holy Spirit dwells within you? Do you think of the Holy Spirit as your partner throughout life, your God partner? If you were taught as a child and have believed as an adult that God was “up there in heaven,” you have a wonder-filled surprise waiting for you. It is the very presence of the Holy Spirit within your soul now. Rejoice!
 
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
(Chapter 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’ it would obey you.” Of course, this is what we call Semitic exaggeration, a mode of speech used throughout the Bible to make a point. The point in this Gospel passage is the power of faith. Unfortunately, we modern folks often think of faith as going to a prayer bank and making a withdrawal. We expect an answer, the answer we want, as soon as possible, and if we do not receive the answer we want, we might find our faith wavering. Jesus wanted the apostles and us today to have a wild faith, a deep faith, and at times a long winding faith that does not work as a straight line of prayer and response but helps us to live in the deep mystery of God’s love.
 
Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
 
Bill Ayres was a founder, with the late singer Harry Chapin, of WhyHunger. He has been a radio and TV broadcaster for 40 years and has two weekly Sunday-night shows on WPLJ, 95.5 FM in New York. He is a member of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, New York.