"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you." Lk 17:6
As children this text was confusing and exciting. Was it possible to have so much faith that one could perform miracles, and if so what did you have to do to learn this skill? Of course, the passage is not about power and extraordinary signs and wonders, but gratitude.
When we are grateful for the faith we have and remember that it is an unearned gift, everything changes. We may not be able to perform miracles, but we realize more and more deeply that our life is a miracle, and that God is not a hovering presence waiting for us to make a mistake, but a loving father who wants us to be ourselves and to celebrate his love in our lives. Jesus is trying to help his listeners understand and appreciate that they are much stronger than they realize if only they live their faith on a daily basis.
Gratitude for all God is and does is natural and necessary, a way of living and loving and the foundation of a full Gospel life. When we realize how much God has done for us and what God intends for us, we can accept life as a journey that will take us up and down mountains and in and out of very dark valleys, all the while being accompanied by God, which is the real miracle.
Today, let go of a mountain you have been trying to conquer.
What have been the ordinary miracles in your life?
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