The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied,
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
~ Luke 17:5-6
Nature always speaks to me of beauty, goodness and truth. Even when the leaves begin to fall, there is great beauty in the wild profusion of the glowing colors of falling leaves. Even in the depths of winter, there is goodness germinating below the pure white mantle of snow covering the ground that will burst forth in stunning splendor come spring. Even in the heat of summer, there is always truth that life will always be stronger than death and decay.
And yet, when I look at what men do and are doing, I lose hope. Man is supposed to be the apex of creation. And yet, when I see his handiwork, I get shaken in my faith. My heart bleeds in sorrow and finds it difficult to love. We trash the earth and destroy the beauty there is around us. We give in to our anger and hatred and forget that we were born and created in and for goodness. We twist each other’s words and reality and the life we live have no resemblance at all to our real and true selves.
Lord, increase our faith.
Help us believe that life is stronger than death. May we do something today, however small, to proclaim and protect life.
Help us believe that your light is stronger than our darkness. May we do something today, however small, to dispel the darkness around us and within us.
Help us believe in the beauty of your creation. May we do something beautiful today for ourselves and others that this world may be a better place to live in.
Help us believe in goodness in ourselves and in others that we may have a taste of your Kingdom here on earth.
Help us believe and live in your truth that we may end trying to destroy and harm one another.
Amen