OMELIE / Omelie EN

05 ott 2025

05/10/2025 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

05/10/2025 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

First reading Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4 from Psalm 94 Second reading 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14 Gospel Lk 17:5-10

Jesus has just urged his disciples to continually forgive their brother who asks for it. They realise that to do so requires great and profound faith, and they believe they do not yet possess it. However, faith is not something one possesses: it is the relationship of trust we have with the Father and with Jesus. Do I trust them? Then Jesus' word becomes more important than any of my reasoning. For those who believe, Jesus' word becomes the basis of every thought and every action. When Simon Peter was invited by Jesus to cast his nets, he said, “At your word I will cast the nets”. He meant, “not on my reasoning” or “not on my experience as a fisherman”. Faith is obedience: some call it blind, but it is not so. It is obedience that sees with the eyes of the one I trust. This faith is not yet alive in the disciples. Jesus said to them, ‘If your brother sins against you seven times a day and seven times returns to you saying, “I repent,” you shall forgive him.’ They know they are not capable, so they ask Jesus himself, ‘Increase our faith!’ .

To forgive those who sin many times, faith is truly necessary: if you turn to God and let him guide you, then you can forgive and repeat the gift, because your eyes do not see your sinful brother, but the gaze of the merciful God, merciful first of all towards you, and then towards your sinful brother.

It may seem strange, but Jesus does not promise to increase the amount of faith; on the contrary, he says that the faith we have is already more than enough. The measure of faith is the mustard seed, the smallest seed known. Everyone can have that “amount” of faith. The faith we have been given by accepting Jesus is complete. There is no need to add anything else, and it is not possible to have a better faith. We just need to use it!

However, it will be necessary to keep pride at bay, otherwise faith will be ruined, and relationships, both with God and with others, will be destroyed. Jesus therefore wants to help his disciples cultivate sincere and serene humility. This is why he tells the parable with its famous conclusion, which at first glance seems unacceptable to us: “When you have done all that you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done what we ought to have done.’” After our obedience, there is no room for pride in having obeyed, but only humility, ready to begin service again.

Our best boast is to be servants. Those who serve with love are living the life of the Son of God. He came to serve the Father, and he served the Father's love by serving men. Did he not say, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve”? I become like him and unite myself to him by serving my brothers and sisters. For this reason, when I have finished one service, I immediately await another, because I cannot live without being intimately united to the Son of God, to Jesus, the eternal servant!

In this way, our faith becomes our life, just as Habakkuk wrote: “The righteous shall live by his faith”. The obedience of faith allows us to forgive and to ask for forgiveness, and this is the beginning of the life pleasing to the Father, the life of a child, of that child who sets out to serve in order to develop and mature his love. It is the beautiful witness we can give to our Lord Jesus Christ.

He deserves that we highlight his presence and the richness of his love. We do this through joyful, free and gratuitous service.

St Paul confides to us: “I know in whom I have placed my faith, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me”. Then he helps us with his words to Timothy: 'God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of strength, love and wisdom. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony to be given to our Lord." It is beautiful to think that we are witnesses of Jesus, that we contribute, through obedience to the faith and therefore with our merciful and helpful love, to making him known as the Saviour and Lord who came for everyone.

I have been sustained and strengthened many times by the certainty that, even if no one sees me or considers me, my humble and hidden service serves to glorify Jesus, to make the presence of his Spirit alive and active. The focus on glorifying Jesus also helps us to discern what to do in the most varied circumstances and thus to keep our faith firm.