Increase Our Faith

Today’s Gospel passage falls under the category that has come to be known as the “hard sayings” of Jesus. Hard to understand, hard to apply to life today. The Apostles’ request, “increase our faith,” is in response to a previous “hard saying” about how frequently we are called upon to forgive others. Curiously, Jesus seems rather unforgiving in responding to their request, or in describing the manner in which they are to serve others.

Jesus uses exaggerations to wake us up to how God is present in our lives, and how we are urged to live if God is with us. None of us is called upon to uproot trees or cast mountains into the sea. The faith we have is adequate for the task we are called upon to do: spread the gospel by our witness. And living that witness is done not for self-gratification or recognition, but out of the joy of helping the world to hear the Good News.