I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
Where do you turn when it seems that the world has turned on you? Most of us have some sort of support network that we rely upon to get us through tough times. We depend upon family and friends to nurture, comfort and protect us when we are weak and struggling. It is a blessing to have people in our life that love us and support us, but there are times though that no matter how strong a support system we have, it just doesn’t seem to be enough. Regardless of how functional our family is or how dependable our friends are, we should never forget that they are all human and capable of failure from time to time. It isn’t always possible to know what another person is feeling, and even if we know someone is hurting we don’t always know how to respond. We can’t always count on other people to save us; sometimes we need a force more powerful.
I often hear people talk about faith and religion as if they were primarily concerned with one’s views or beliefs about the afterlife. Many people think of faith and religion as hobbies for those that are naturally interested in such things, or as preoccupations of the superstitious; we may be respectful of someone’s faith in an effort to be polite and civil, but I wonder if we don’t often undervalue how truly powerful a force it can be in their life. Faith isn’t just about heaven and hell; for some people its primary benefits are how it allows them to live in this life, not the next. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about faith is not that it has the power to save you from some eternal hell, but that it has the power to save you from a hell that you may already be living in.
Despair and loneliness can be terrifying feelings. If you have ever felt that your world has been turned upside down or questioned if you will ever know happiness or peace again, then you know what I am talking about. The rash of suicides in the news lately are a sobering reminder of just how deadly despair can be. Let’s face it, the world we live in isn’t always a friendly place. When the world seems cruel and unforgiving it is helpful to have a sense of love and forgiveness that comes from beyond this world. One of the great benefits of a healthy faith is that it can equip us to overcome loneliness and despair. Faith can give us the strength and confidence to keep going even in the face of adversity. Faith gives us the hope that things will get better and that our future is never as bleak as it sometimes seems. Faith can give us the courage, as the gospel hymn goes: “to hold on just a little while longer.”
Life throws mountains in front of us all the time: embarrassment, pain, disappointment, rejection. There are times when we may want to quit because we think we will never overcome it. It is in those times when even a tiny amount of faith can give us the power to hold on until either the mountain moves or until we have the strength to climb it; either way a tiny amount of faith can sustain us, when the rest of the world lets us down.
Don’t underestimate the power of your faith. Look back on your life and think of times when it may have been the only thing that sustained you. When we talk about someone’s faith or religion, we’re not just talking about where they go on Friday night or Sunday morning, we’re talking about something that just might be a fundamental part of their existence. Whether or not we think someone’s faith has the power to save them in the next world, we should always consider how it may have already saved them in this one.
Blessings,
Fr. Kevin
