Are the words, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength,” written on our hearts? Are they just words? For if we truly love the Lord, our God, with all our hearts, all our minds, all our strength, and all our souls,v then we know that the love for Him is not just mere words, but our very being in full communion with Him.
Just as we might sing, “God is dwelling in my heart.” He’s truly present in our thoughts, in our words, and in our deeds. And if He is truly present with us, then how can we not minister to our brethren with great confidence that He will work miracles and wonders in their lives? Because He is our living God and we are empowered to bring His living presence to all He sends our way.
Why are many of us not willing to try? Why are we so concerned about performance? It’s that performance mentality that holds us back from doing what needs to be done, for praying, for healing, for prophesying, for deliverance.
We are reminded in today’s Gospel that all it takes is one’s faith the size of a mustard seed, but that mustard seed is the living God that dwells within us, that enables us to do greater things according to His will. Amen.
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Virgin, Martyr pray for us…
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First reading
Deuteronomy 6:4-13
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
Moses said to the people:
‘Listen, Israel: the Lord our God is the one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let these words I urge on you today be written on your heart. You shall repeat them to your children and say them over to them whether at rest in your house or walking abroad, at your lying down or at your rising; you shall fasten them on your hand as a sign and on your forehead as a circlet; you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
‘When the Lord has brought you into the land which he swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would give you, with great and prosperous cities not of your building, houses full of good things not furnished by you, wells you did not dig, vineyards and olives you did not plant, when you have eaten these and had your fill, then take care you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You must fear the Lord your God, you must serve him, by his name you must swear.’
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Gospel
Matthew 17:14-20
If your faith were the size of a mustard seed, the mountain would move
A man came up to Jesus and went down on his knees before him. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘take pity on my son: he is a lunatic and in a wretched state; he is always falling into the fire or into the water. I took him to your disciples and they were unable to cure him.’ ‘Faithless and perverse generation!’ Jesus said in reply ‘How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.’ And when Jesus rebuked it the devil came out of the boy who was cured from that moment.
Then the disciples came privately to Jesus. ‘Why were we unable to cast it out?’ they asked. He answered, ‘Because you have little faith. I tell you solemnly, if your faith were the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move; nothing would be impossible for you.’
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