A Homily for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, October 5, 2025
Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10
Audio Recording
“How long, O Lord? I cry for help, but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not intervene.”
With these anguished words, the prophet Habakkuk gives voice to one of the most honest prayers in Scripture. We, too, look at our world — so full of conflict and suffering — and ask, Where is God? Why does He allow evil to seem victorious?
God’s reply is unexpected: “Write down the vision clearly…for the vision still has its time…if it delays, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not be late. The just one, because of his faith, shall live.”
In other words, trust Me. Even when you cannot see the whole picture, keep faith. My plan is unfolding, and it will not disappoint.
Faith, then, is more than belief — it is the cure for the deepest wound of the human heart. Humanity’s first sin was a failure to trust. Adam and Eve believed the serpent’s lie that God was holding something back. They wanted control more than communion. That wound still marks us, and so God’s redemption begins by restoring trust. Faith is not a test; it is medicine. It heals pride, restores vision, and teaches us to depend again on His goodness.
When the apostles say, “Increase our faith,” they are asking not only for stronger belief but for the desire to believe. Faith begins with wanting God. We always find time for what we truly desire. The first step of faith is to want what is good and true more than what is easy or comfortable. “Lord, give me a heart that wants You above all else.” When we truly want Him, we will find Him.
Faith also means learning to wait. Habakkuk’s cry — “How long, O Lord?” — echoes in every believer’s heart. Waiting is one of faith’s hardest lessons, yet the Lord says, “If it delays, wait for it.” Waiting is not passivity; it is fidelity. It shows that we believe His promise even when we cannot yet see its fulfillment.
In our impatient age, we want instant answers, but God’s timing is perfect. When prayers go unanswered or darkness lingers, these waiting seasons of life are not empty. They are holy ground where trust grows.
Saint Paul tells Timothy, “Stir into flame the gift of God that is in you…For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but of power and love and self-control.” Faith is that flame. It must be fanned into strength. Faith doesn’t spare us from suffering; it gives us the courage to endure it. To live by faith is to stand firm with God in a world that often stands against Him. We withstand not because we are strong, but because God is faithful.
In the Gospel, when the apostles plead, “Increase our faith,” Jesus replies, “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.” A mustard seed is tiny, yet even that much faith can move mountains. Jesus isn’t speaking of physical miracles but of what faith can do in the heart. Even the smallest bit of faith can uproot fear, pride, and sin and plant hope and peace in their place.
Then Jesus adds a parable about servants who, after doing their work, say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” He teaches that faith must be humble. Our good works are not our gift to God—they are His gift to us. Every act of kindness or forgiveness is grace in motion. True faith doesn’t seek credit; it says, “Thank you, Lord, for letting me serve.”
That is the essence of faith: trusting, serving, and surrendering to God’s timing. The one who lives by faith does not measure success by results but by obedience. Each act of trust and perseverance becomes part of God’s larger plan.
Habakkuk’s vision still speaks today: “It will surely come, it will not be late.” The world often feels like it’s falling apart, but faith tells us that God is still writing His story. His promises will be fulfilled. If we want Him, wait for Him, and work in His service, we will share in His victory. Faith may begin as small as a mustard seed, but the harvest is eternal.
So today, as we come to the altar, we echo the apostles’ prayer: “Lord, increase our faith.” And perhaps the Lord replies: “You already have all you need—now use it.” Use that seed of faith to forgive, to persevere, to love when it costs you something. Plant it, trust it, and let it grow.
For the vision of God will come. It will not disappoint. And those who live by faith—who trust through the waiting and serve with humble hearts — will share forever in Christ’s victory.
God bless you.