Fruit Of Faithfulness

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine our faithfulness and ponder the fruit that results from the seeds we plant in life.

Bread for Life

In the Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts them to be grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior.

* [9:8–10] The behavior to which he exhorts them is grounded in God’s own pattern of behavior. God is capable of overwhelming generosity, as scripture itself attests (2 Cor 9:9), so that they need not fear being short. He will provide in abundance, both supplying their natural needs and increasing their righteousness. Paul challenges them to godlike generosity and reminds them of the fundamental motive for encouragement: God himself cannot be outdone. (2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 112 details the blessings received by those who remain close to God

* [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (Ps 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (Ps 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (Ps 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (Ps 112:10). The logic resembles Ps 1; 111. (Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John proclaims The Coming of Jesus’ Hour.

* [12:24] This verse implies that through his death Jesus will be accessible to all. It remains just a grain of wheat: this saying is found in the synoptic triple and double traditions (Mk 8:35; Mt 16:25; Lk 9:24; Mt 10:39; Lk 17:33). John adds the phrases (Jn 12:25) in this world and for eternal life.

* [12:25] His life: the Greek word psychē refers to a person’s natural life. It does not mean “soul,” for Hebrew anthropology did not postulate body/soul dualism in the way that is familiar to us. (John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, reflects upon the phrase, “hate his life” or “Loves his life”, what can that mean! Try this on for further thoughtfulness and prayer.

Now imagine a person who loves his/her life so isolatedly that she/he holds the self apart from giving life, but only taking it in. This is not exactly “love”, but absorption. Yes, self-creation is not creation, but destruction. The seed has a built-in longing for its being more than a seed, but for fruit and life. The seed in one sense, “hates” itself for not being able to be fruitful merely by its “seedishness”. It needs the earth, the sun and the rains, quite dependent on that little seed.

We, as with the martyrs, have our interior battles between loving the self enough to hate radical self-preoccupation, self-establishness, and hiding. Like the seed, we love what God’s faithful love will bring to the lives of others by bringing life to, and so, through each of us. The great life to come is not a reward, but the final produce of a productive and creative life through our dying to our self-centered un-creational existence. Rather it will be a continuation of God’s creative love within, around and with us. God’s love, like the nourishing soil, sun and rains, serves us and so we serve God, in Christ, by serving God’s people. After all, serving others is a graceful way of loving the goodness of ourselves, good enough to live and give away. We cannot do it alone! (Gillick, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The seed must die before being resurrected,” by Irenaeus, 135-202 A.D.

"A cutting from the vine planted in the ground bears fruit in its season, or a kernel of wheat falling into the earth and becoming decomposed rises and is multiplied by the Spirit of God, who contains all things. And then, through the wisdom of God, it serves for our use when, after receiving the Word of God, it becomes the Eucharist, which is the body and blood of Christ. In the same way our bodies, being nourished by it, and deposited in the earth and suffering decomposition there, shall rise at their appointed time. The Word of God grants them resurrection to the glory of God, even the Father who freely gives to this mortal immortality, and to this corruptible incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:53). This is so because the strength of God is made perfect in weakness (1 Corinthians 15:43; 2 Corinthians 13:4) in order that we may never become puffed up, as if we had life from ourselves, or become exalted against God with ungrateful minds."(excerpt from AGAINST HERESIES 5.2.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments in this letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes an appeal to help the poor in Palestine. The Gentiles will remember the poorer Palestinians than they in Greece and Turkey. God loves a cheerful giver who is generous without grudge or resentment. Some scholars have expressed that which is in excess is robbed from poor. The Gospel of John reminds us that the grain of wheat has to die. The Israelites had a ceremony for the death of the seed and our willingness to be generous. By generosity we are already living in eternal life. Friar Jude reminds us it is a measure of how caring and loving we are.

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10 comments that, like all martyrs, St. Lawrence received seeds of hope from the Lord, which grew into a harvest of heroism and a witness that has inspired millions.

Don’t think you have to keep scrounging in a dwindling interior silo. Instead, develop the habit of returning to your Creator. He takes joy in giving you all you need for a rich harvest of love and generosity.

“Father, give me all I need so that I am able to give to others!” (Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, explores how Franciscan mysticism invites us to encounter divine presence in our concrete, specific lives. People all over the world are rejecting the ideological (top-down) form of religion—and they should, because this is not the path of Christ himself.

By taking the mystery of the Incarnation absolutely seriously and gradually extending it to its logical conclusions, the seeming limitations of space and time are once and for all overcome in Francis. The Christ Mystery refuses to be vague or abstract and is always concrete and specific. When we stay with these daily apparitions, we see that everything is a revelation of the divine—from rocks to rocket ships. There are henceforth no blind spots in the divine disclosure, in our own eyes, or in our rearview mirrors. The only hindrance to our seeing is our own lack of fascination, humility, curiosity, awe, and willingness to be allured forward.

Franciscan spirituality emphasizes a real equivalence and mutuality between the one who sees and what can be seen. There is a symbiosis between the mind and heart of the seer—and to what they will then pay attention. Francis had a unique ability to call others—animals, planets, and elements —“brother” and “sister” because he himself was a little brother. He granted other beings and things mutuality, subjectivity, “personhood,” and dignity because he first honored his own dignity as a son of God. The world was a transparent two-way mirror for him, which some of us would call a fully “sacramental” universe.” (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the insight of the Spirit as we ponder the truth that full life requires a death to our focus on ourselves and our surrender to the Plan of God that we are seeds that will nurture our environment in our death to self.

References

Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection August 10, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-10-2026 

John, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/12? 

Meditation on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/10/1643161/ 

Psalms, PSALM 112 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/112?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Infinite in the Finite. Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-infinite-in-the-finite/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). If It Dies, It Bears Much Fruit. Daily Scripture Readings. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2026&date=aug10a 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/9?6 

Faith Flight and Fear

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our desire to run away from the situations in our life where our faith invites us to go and receive transformative grace to combat our fear.

Faith and Skyline

The Reading from the First Book of Kings presents Elijah’s Flight to Horeb.

* [19:11–13] To “stand before the Lord” is a literal translation of a Hebrew idiom meaning “to serve the Lord”; Elijah has used this idiom twice before to describe himself as the Lord’s servant (17:1; 18:15). The Lord’s command, then, means that Elijah is to take up once again the prophetic service to which he has been appointed. The Lord’s question, “Why are you here?” (v. 9, repeated in v. 13), could imply an accusation that he is abandoning his prophetic office. In v. 15, the Lord tells him to go back. (1 Kings, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 85 proclaims the people who wait humbly with open hearts.

* [Psalm 85] A national lament reminding God of past favors and forgiveness (Ps 85:2–4) and begging for forgiveness and grace now (Ps 85:5–8). A speaker represents the people who wait humbly with open hearts (Ps 85:9–10): God will be active on their behalf (Ps 85:11–13). The situation suggests the conditions of Judea during the early postexilic period, the fifth century B.C.; the thoughts are similar to those of postexilic prophets (Hg 1:5–11; 2:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 85 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter to the Romans declares Paul’s Love for Israel.

* [9:1–5] The apostle speaks in strong terms of the depth of his grief over the unbelief of his own people. He would willingly undergo a curse himself for the sake of their coming to the knowledge of Christ (Rom 9:3; cf. Lv 27:28–29). His love for them derives from God’s continuing choice of them and from the spiritual benefits that God bestows on them and through them on all of humanity (Rom 9:4–5).

* [9:5] Some editors punctuate this verse differently and prefer the translation, “Of whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all.” However, Paul’s point is that God who is over all aimed to use Israel, which had been entrusted with every privilege, in outreach to the entire world through the Messiah. (Romans, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, while Walking on the Water, assists Peter.

* [14:22–33] The disciples, laboring against the turbulent sea, are saved by Jesus. For his power over the waters, see note on Mt 8:26. Here that power is expressed also by his walking on the sea (Mt 14:25; cf. Ps 77:20; Jb 9:8). Matthew has inserted into the Marcan story (Mk 6:45–52) material that belongs to his special traditions on Peter (Mt 14:28–31).

* [14:25] The fourth watch of the night: between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. The Romans divided the twelve hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. into four equal parts called “watches.”

* [14:27] It is I: see note on Mk 6:50.

* [14:31] You of little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Why did you doubt?: the verb is peculiar to Matthew and occurs elsewhere only in Mt 28:17.

* [14:33] This confession is in striking contrast to the Marcan parallel (Mk 6:51) where the disciples are “completely astounded.” (Matthew, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Rashmi Fernando, SJ, comments that we begin with confidence, but somewhere along the journey, we become preoccupied with the “winds” around us—the uncertainties, disappointments, criticism, financial burdens, fragile health, or fears about the future. Slowly, we begin to sink under the weight of what once seemed manageable.

Yet today’s Gospel is not ultimately about Peter’s failure. It is about Jesus’ immediacy. The most comforting word in the passage may be “immediately.” Peter cries, “Lord, save me!” and immediately Jesus stretches out his hand. There is no lecture before the rescue. No delay. No test to determine whether Peter deserves help. Grace always precedes correction. Jesus first saves him; only then does he gently ask, “Why did you doubt?” Perhaps, for this reason, the greatest miracle in today’s gospel is not that Jesus walked on water or that Peter briefly did the same. The greater miracle is that God’s hand is always closer than our fear. Even when our faith falters, his faithfulness never does. (Fernando, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Welcoming the Lord Jesus with expectant faith and humility,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"While human praise does not tempt the Lord, people are often ruffled and nearly entranced by human praise and honors in the church. Peter was afraid on the sea, terrified by the great force of the storm. Indeed, who does not fear that voice: 'Those who say you are happy place you in error and disturb the path of your feet' (Isaiah 3:12 Vulgate translation)? And since the soul struggles against the desire for human praise, it is good for it to turn to prayer and petition amid such danger, lest one who is charmed by praise be overcome by criticism and reproach. Let Peter, about to sink in the waves, cry out and say, 'Lord, save me!' The Lord reached out his hand. He chided Peter, saying, 'O man of little faith, why did you doubt?' - that is, why did you not, gazing straight at the Lord as you approached, pride yourself only in him? Nevertheless he snatched Peter from the waves and did not allow him who was declaring his weakness and asking the Lord for help to perish." (excerpt from SERMON 75:10) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in 1 Kings we hear of the experience of God by Elijah on Mt Horeb, also known as  Mt Sinai, where the Law was received by the Jewish people. God is not  found in the traditional way. Most often we meet God in the simple events of our life where we  see the signs of God's goodness. The profound passage in Romans declares that if Paul going to hell would save Jews, he would accept hell. In this way he gets the right idea about heaven. We think of our gain but to surrender heaven so others might attain it is truly heaven. The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus walking on the waters. In Matthew, Peter’s role is emphasized. He becomes the central character. He sinks because of shaken faith. We learn a bit about impetuous Peter who acts before thinking. Our character faults teach us about faith and our faults. Friar Jude notes that Jesus accepts Peter where he is and loves Him as much as he can. In the Hebrew Testament, the title “Son of God” is an honorific, then. in Matthew, it  becomes the proclamation of Jesus as truly the Son of God.

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13 comments that God was not in the strong wind, in the earthquake, or in the fire, however. He was in “a tiny whispering sound” (19:12). In today’s Gospel, the disciples were in a boat that was being tossed by the wind and the waves when they saw Jesus coming “toward them walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:25). Of course they were terrified!

You might be afraid or you might have “little faith” (Matthew 14:31). Because it might feel as if the Lord is absent, as if he doesn’t care, or as if you’re beyond his help.

But God wants to reassure you. He is passing by! He’s inviting you to the “mountain”—a quiet place where you can pray and pour out your heart—to spend time with him. He wants you to remember that he comes to you, he stretches out his hand, and he holds you and keeps you steady. Then he says: “Take courage . . . ; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).

“Lord, I know you come to my aid. Help me to trust in you.” (Meditation on 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how grace and connectivity are foundational to Franciscan mysticism. A mystic reveals that which is hidden to most of us, yet it is also invariably what we also hope and imagine to be true! True mystics seldom if ever bring bad news. It seems Reality, at its hidden and deepest levels, is always very good—better than most of us can imagine!

Franciscan mysticism is a subset of mysticism. Though it overlaps with aspects of non-Christian mysticism—such as nature mysticism, Islamic Sufi mysticism (ecstasy and joy), Hindu mysticism (unitive consciousness itself and asceticism), and Buddhism (nonviolence and simplicity)—Franciscan mysticism has a unique place in the world through its Christocentric lens.

It was the unique person of Jesus that Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) fell in love with, precisely in his incarnate and humble state, identifying with the excluded and little ones, whom Jesus calls “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). The bias toward the edge and the bottom has always been at the heart of Franciscan mysticism, explaining its perennial identification with poverty and suffering.

The cosmic vision, personalized in Jesus, was an intuition that Francis and many of his followers lived and experienced, but most of them did not formulate it in theological words or academic concepts as much as in lifestyles. Usually they picked it up by osmosis, through the gospel and the Franciscan lineage. Followers of Francis bore “fruit that remained” and invariably believed in original blessing much more than original sin. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are grateful to the Spirit that inspires the great transforming events of our lives and supports our journey to be support and blessing to those we accompany in “troubled waters”.

References

Fernando, R. (2026, August 9). Daily Reflection August 9, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-9-2026 

Matthew, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/14?22 

Meditation on 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/09/1642346/ 

1 Kings, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1kings/19? 

Psalms, PSALM 85 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Grace and Connectivity. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/85?9 

Romans, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/9? 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). It Is I - Have No Fear. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Faith and Ignatian Indifference

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest, challenge us to examine our complaints, physical and spiritual, and open our minds to resolution through faith in Divine Providence.

Faith and Action

The Reading from the Book of Habakkuk presents Habakkuk’s Second Complaint.

* [1:2–4] The prophet complains about God’s apparent disregard for Judah’s internal evils in language that echoes the preaching of prophets like Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.

* [1:4] The law is numb: because the Lord has been silent, the Law, whether in the form of the scroll found in the Temple in the time of Josiah (2 Kgs 22) or in the form of divine instruction given by priests and prophets, has proved ineffective and so appeared to be cold, unreceptive, and powerless. For the Law to be credible, the Lord must see to it that the wicked are punished and the just rewarded.

* [1:5–7] Habakkuk interprets the Babylonian defeat of Egypt at Carchemish (605 B.C.) as the answer to his complaint: the Lord will send the Chaldean empire against Judah as punishment for their sins.

* [1:11] The primary aim of military campaigns by ancient Near Eastern rulers was usually the gathering of spoils and the collection of tribute rather than the annexation of territory. However, in the eighth century B.C., the Assyrians began to administer many conquered territories as provinces.

* [1:12–2:1] Appointed them for judgment: this complaint is directed against the violent Babylonians, the very nation God chose to punish Judah.

* [1:12] Rock: an ancient title celebrating the Lord’s power and fidelity; cf. Dt 32:4; Is 26:4; 30:29; Ps 18:3, 32, 47; 95:1.

* [1:15] He: the Babylonian king (cf. vv. 6, 13), who easily conquers other nations and treats them as objects for his entertainment and enrichment.

* [1:16] He makes sacrifices to his net: the leader attributes victory to the military weapons he wields; he and his weapons have won victory, not any god. (Habakkuk, Chapter 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 9 proclaims the rescue of the helpless poor from their enemies.

* [Psalms 9–10] Ps 9 and Ps 10 in the Hebrew text have been transmitted as separate poems but they actually form a single acrostic poem and are so transmitted in the Greek and Latin tradition. Each verse of the two Psalms begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (though several letters have no corresponding stanza). The Psalm states loosely connected themes: the rescue of the helpless poor from their enemies, God’s worldwide judgment and rule over the nations, the psalmist’s own concern for rescue (Ps 9:14–15). (Psalms, PSALM 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the Healing of a Boy with a Demon.

* [17:14–20] Matthew has greatly shortened the Marcan story (Mk 9:14–29). Leaving aside several details of the boy’s illness, he concentrates on the need for faith, not so much on the part of the boy’s father (as does Mark, for Matthew omits Mk 9:22b–24) but on that of his own disciples whose inability to drive out the demon is ascribed to their little faith (Mt 17:20).

* [17:15] A lunatic: this description of the boy is peculiar to Matthew. The word occurs in the New Testament only here and in Mt 4:24 and means one affected or struck by the moon. The symptoms of the boy’s illness point to epilepsy, and attacks of this were thought to be caused by phases of the moon.

* [17:17] Faithless and perverse: so Matthew and Luke (Lk 9:41) against Mark’s faithless (Mk 9:19). The Greek word here translated perverse is the same as that in Dt 32:5 LXX, where Moses speaks to his people. There is a problem in knowing to whom the reproach is addressed. Since the Matthean Jesus normally chides his disciples for their little faith (as in Mt 17:20), it would appear that the charge of lack of faith could not be made against them and that the reproach is addressed to unbelievers among the Jews. However in Mt 17:20b (if you have faith the size of a mustard seed), which is certainly addressed to the disciples, they appear to have not even the smallest faith; if they had, they would have been able to cure the boy. In the light of Mt 17:20b the reproach of Mt 17:17 could have applied to the disciples. There seems to be an inconsistency between the charge of little faith in Mt 17:20a and that of not even a little in Mt 17:20b.

* [17:18] The demon came out of him: not until this verse does Matthew indicate that the boy’s illness is a case of demoniacal possession.

* [17:20] The entire verse is an addition of Matthew who (according to the better attested text) omits the reason given for the disciples’ inability in Mk 9:29. Little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Faith the size of a mustard seed…and it will move: a combination of a Q saying (cf. Lk 17:6) with a Marcan saying (cf. Mk 11:23). (Matthew, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)

Margo Minnich comments that the world teaches us to value self-sufficiency, control, and accomplishment. However, Ignatian spirituality calls us to humility and the recognition that we are reliant on God.

This Gospel also reminds us of the importance of Ignatian indifference. St. Ignatius teaches that we should not cling to health over sickness, success over failure, or comfort over hardship if our ultimate desire is to serve and glorify God. Faith requires letting go of the illusion that we can control everything ourselves. It calls us to surrender our attachments and trust that God is present even in weakness, suffering, and uncertainty. Admitting powerlessness is not defeat; it is the beginning of deeper reliance on God’s grace.

These readings challenge us to ask ourselves: Where do we rely too heavily on our own strength instead of God’s? What mountains in our lives feel impossible to move and how can faith help us to face those challenges? Christ reminds us that faith is about trusting completely in the One for whom all things are possible. Through even the smallest seed of faith, God can transform our hearts and lead us through every challenge. (Minnich, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Faith as a grain of mustard seed,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD). 

"The mountains here spoken of, in my opinion, are the hostile powers that have their being in a flood of great wickedness, such as are settled down, so to speak, in some souls of various people. But when someone has total faith, such that he no longer disbelieves in anything found in holy Scripture and has faith like that of Abraham, who so believed in God to such a degree that his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), then he has all faith like a grain of mustard seed. Then such a man will say to this mountain - I mean in this case the deaf and dumb spirit in him who is said to be epileptic - 'Move from here to another place.' It will move. This means it will move from the suffering person to the abyss. The apostle, taking this as his starting point, said with apostolic authority, 'If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains' (1 Corinthians 13:2). For he who has all faith - which is like a grain of mustard seed - moves not just one mountain but also more just like it. And nothing will be impossible for the person who has so much faith. Let us examine also this statement: 'This kind is not cast out except through prayer and fasting' (Mark 9:29). If at any time it is necessary that we should be engaged in the healing of one suffering from such a disorder, we are not to adjure nor put questions nor speak to the impure spirit as if it heard. But [by] devoting ourselves to prayer and fasting, we may be successful as we pray for the sufferer, and by our own fasting we may thrust out the unclean spirit from him." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 13.7.19) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler shares that Habakkuk, who like Job, questions the motives and actions of God. Why pagans who do not worship God yet He allows them to do terrible things as in Job who asked God why innocent people suffer. Job, at the end of the book declares “I understand that I don’t understand” or Habakkuk concludes we just have to wait until the Lord acts. In Matthew an epileptic is presented to Jesus to be healed and Jesus drives the “demon” out. In Jesus' time illness was related to demoniac possession. Why the apostles were not able to heal the demon was because of little faith. We understand faith as an act of total trust, a mustard seed that can move mountains in care, trust and love. Friar Jude notes that we have stopped trusting in modern life and have become cynical at times. We have to again trust the Love of God.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 17:14-20 comments that we all have our own “mustard seed” of faith. We received it when we were baptized, and it has grown, thanks to our families and those who have taught us the faith.

So if you want your faith to grow, nourish it well, and ask the Spirit to help you put it into action. If you have an “impossible” coworker, treat them with kindness and trust that the Lord will soften their hearts. If a loved one is sick, let your faith keep you connected to the Lord and at peace. Even more, believe in the Lord’s power to heal as you pray for them.

If we keep acting in faith, we will see miracles, both big and small. We’ll see the Lord work in situations that seem impossible. The mustard seed in our hearts will begin to grow into a mighty tree, and we will bear marvelous fruit.

“Thank you, Lord, for the awesome gift of faith!” (Meditation on Matthew 17:14-20, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on when a friend suffered an unexpected loss, cancer survivor Kate Bowler offered her a paradoxical message of suffering and joy.

But I know about the joy that persists, even though it might seem like temporary insanity.  

I looked at my friend … and I could see how impossible joy felt to her. In fact, not long ago, I would not have believed in joy either. It’s strange to say it like that—but I believe in joy. We can’t mistake it for anything less than what it is: one of the most powerful ways we experience the deepest and most healing forms of gratitude, delight, and hope. It is a kind of transcendence; joy is a glimmer of love and forgiveness and wholeness that lifts us out of reality for a moment and gives us back to ourselves, anew….

In the many chambers of our beating hearts are reservoirs for joy.

“You will hear the music,” I said to my friend. “I swear you will hear the music.” (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the guidance of the Spirit as we explore the practice of Ignatian Indifference that proposes we will find joy and love of God in all the circumstances of life.

References

Habakkuk, Chapter 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/habakkuk/1?12 

Matthew, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/17?14 

Meditation on Matthew 17:14-20. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/07/1640975/ 

Minnich, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection August 8, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-8-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/9? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/job-and-the-mystery-of-suffering-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Nothing Will Be Impossible to You. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/