27th Sunday of Ordinary Time year C

There have been some tremendous second readings in this cycle. A few weeks ago there was the celestial city in Hebrews remembering what we are all called to. And of late St Paul to Philemon and now to Timothy, constantly reminds us what we are about. What always strikes me about Paul is that he has faith. He constantly talks of Christ as someone he knows. It is the Risen Lord, after all, that Paul follows. The road to Damascus was post Resurrection. It is the same Christ we have come to know and love.

Over the last few days, we have had a Parish Mission here, preached by two Dominicans. The entire week was built around the presence of Jesus in the Sacraments and the Church. They both presented a God who saves and a God who is present in our midst. During one particular homily one of the preachers recounted a conversation he had with an old friend. This friend had been very successful in business, he was a real high flyer. And as things go, as he succeeded in his business life, he abandoned, or at least 'down graded' his spiritual life, and gave up on the Sacraments. One day the two friends were talking and religion came up. The priest's friend explained how he thought religion was a good idea, but that 'institutional' church was not something for him. He began to explain that he saw God as an energy, somewhere out there, a life force to be tapped into when you needed it. (A common enough idea, these days, by the way.) The learned Dominican retorted "How do you expect me to have a relationship with a battery?!"

The Gospel talks about faith; and all we need is the faith the size of a mustard seed. Our Christian faith is not a concept or a set of good ideas. Our faith is a relationship with God who is real and who has revealed himself completely in Jesus. Pope Benedict constantly refers to this in his writings. He talks of a profound and real friendship with Jesus Christ. We can have all the pastoral plans we want. We can devise the best schemes and attractions for people to come to the Church, but unless it is rooted in Jesus, it will not work. Simple as that; if it is not all about Jesus, it is a waste of time, money, effort and energy.

The Lord uses a mustard seed. I remember in school thinking this was the most awful thing in the world. The only person I knew who ate mustard was my grand father. I wanted to taste it one day and he put a spoonful on a piece of bread, and I, like a fool gobbled it up. My mouth was on fire for days! It is not mustard, English mustard in a jar that is, that the Gospel refers to. It is the seed. Mustard seeds are tiny, but produce a large bush type vegetation. They also have extensive root systems which make them very hard to up root. From something tiny comes something very enduring.

I am often like the disciples. "Lord, give me more faith." The Lord says, "You have me, you have enough." This Sunday let us really believe in God who saves us. Let us rejoice and be glad in the reality of our faith; friendship with Jesus Christ. He will look after the rest.