Patience, Grasshopper
18th Week in Ordinary Time – Saturday (II)
2008-08-09
Habakkuk 1:12-2:4, Matthew 17:14-20“Patience, Grasshopper.”
Many of us probably still remember these challenging words made famous by the Master Teacher in the 1970’s TV series Kung Fu. They are challenging words; mainly because of the world in which we live today…a world that demands instant access, instant results and instant gratification. The Kung Fu master had a different idea.
Perhaps Habakkuk was on his reading list – or, perhaps not.
In our first reading, the prophet Habakkuk is waiting on a vision…a glimpse of God’s plan for His people. God tells him, “If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. The rash man has no integrity; but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.”
Did you hear that? God is telling Habakkuk, “Have a little faith.” But, that’s not the last time God says this.
In fact, in today’s Gospel reading, God The Son, Jesus, tells us that only a tiny bit of faith can move mountains. Now, I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen any mountains moving about lately. If we only had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could look out our kitchen windows here on a sunny Memphis morning and eat our Cheerios while gazing upon the snow-capped beauty of the Swiss Alps.
But…we don’t see the Alps, do we? Unless, of course there’s a picture of them on the back of the cereal box. So, then, what’s the problem? Why is there so little faith? Perhaps it’s because, nowadays, “having a little faith” isn’t so easy as it sounds.
Many people don’t know what to have faith in…
…faith in government?
…faith in money?
…faith in power?
…faith in science?
Many don’t know who to have faith in…
…faith in themselves?
…faith in friends?
…faith in their political leaders?
…faith in mankind?
In fact, many people today have no faith at all. Nothing is real, nothing is absolute, nothing is true. So…what can we do amid all this faithlessness?
We CAN have faith…
…faith in God’s fatherly love…
…faith in the Son’s triumphant act of redemption…
…faith in the Spirit’s inspiration…
…faith in the Church, God’s Kingdom on earth.
The father of the sick child in Matthew’s Gospel had faith in Jesus, and because of his faith, the child was cured. And, if we have faith, even the faith of a mustard seed, perhaps the world can be cured. Jesus Himself tells us that “nothing will be impossible” for those who have faith.
And so, we must pray. Pray for healing. Pray for love. Pray for hope. Pray for faith in God and His one Church. And, like the prophet Habakkuk, we must wait in faith, for “it will surely come.”
Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But “it will surely come.”
Patience, Grasshopper.