Gospel Reflection - 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C


Luke 17:5-10

This Gospel has stood out to me since I was a young girl. My best friend & I even had matching necklaces with a mustard seed encased in a marble-sized orb. This seed was about 1-2mm in diameter &, according to Jesus, faith that size can move an invasive 70 foot tall, 20-40 foot wide mulberry tree. Really? How can that be?

A well-tendered mustard seed can produce a bush up to 20 feet tall, with a width up to 20 feet. That’s a lot of growth from one tiny seed! So how can we grow our faith on a scale of that magnitude? We can plant seeds of our own to produce much for the Kingdom of God through a servant’s heart. Hold the door for the person behind you, even if you have to wait a moment. Pay for another’s drive thru order. Leave a quarter (or several quarters) near the carts at Aldi. Take a meal to a new mother or someone homebound. The possibilities are endless.

Additionally, pray & let others witness your prayers. My children have never felt shy or embarrassed praying over their meals in public & private, even if it’s just a quick snack or piece of gum. They’ve been wonderful examples to my husband & me, as well as those around us.

Jesus’ disciples asked Him to increase their faith. In addition to doing those things I mentioned above, reading the Bible regularly can also increase faith. Each passage can draw us closer to God & His Divine plan for our lives. Even it it’s a verse or story we’ve heard a thousand times, it can touch us differently with each reading. As we grow physically & spiritually, our understanding of His Word can touch us in a new & surprising way.    

As unprofitable servants (vs. 10), we probably won’t see the actual growth taking place, but we don’t see the growth of that mustard seed taking place deep in the soil, either. We only see the results of what God has done with that seed. We may never know to what extent our servants’ hearts can reach, though. He knows the hearts of all His children, no matter how close they are to Him when the seed gets planted. He knows how much fertilization is needed to help them increase in their faith.

With a servant’s heart, what one random act of kindness will you plant today?

How has your faith grown through another’s act of kindness towards you?

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