An Exercise in Faith

Scripture – Luke 17:3-6: 3So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” 5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

Reflection: The most effective way to increase faith is to exercise it. It’s like many things in life – the more I practice the better I get. If I walk a mile every day I’ll soon be able to walk two miles.

This passage begins with a straightforward way to practice faith. Jesus calls me to forgive whenever someone comes to me and repents for something they’ve done against me. True forgiveness is more than just accepting an apology. It’s letting go of the offense. It means I’m not going to hold this against you. It means I’m open to being hurt again.

That takes great faith. My human nature wants to put limits on forgiveness. But Jesus tells me there are no limits. In many ways it’s easier to send a tree into the sea than to obey this clear command. Who will I follow? How will I practice faithful living today? Will my faith be stronger when this day is done?