Get Up and Move!

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us, “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.”  When we hear this statement we sometimes get a mental lapse, i.e. we assume Jesus is speaking figuratively because it’s impossible to make a tree uproot itself and then plant it only in water.  Jesus was speaking literally, in the sense that great faith does move mountains.  It is doubt that keeps the tree where it is as well as the mountains.

In our lives we have all kinds of trees and mountains we want moved or rather to be gone.  These can range from any type of suffering, be it the suffering one experiences in a broken relationship, the death of a loved one, it could be a sin we have been struggling with, be it pride, impatience, greed, lust, abusing drink, food, or other substances not meant for the human body.  Every person wants to be free of these, be it suffering of any kind or the struggle with sin.  Jesus says, “you can be, just have faith.”

The problem lies in the fact that my natural instinct tells me it is impossible to move trees and mountains, therefore the slightest doubt weakens my faith and the trees and mountains remain.

What then must we do to have faith that will move mountains?

1)   We must pray and pray all the time

i.               We get to know someone by talking to them, intimacy begins with conversation, am I in conversation with Jesus all the time.

ii.             People confuse praying all the time with being a hermit or monk, yes they pray often and have opportunity for prayer, but when Jesus asked us to pray always, he asked us ALL, not just his monks and hermits.  We must be practical with our time and prayer

2)   We must humble ourselves

i.               Humility is the hardest of all virtues.  Accepting the will of God is very difficult; especially when I must accept His calling home of one my family.  When my dad died it was not easy to accept that God called him home and that he would no longer be with me as he once was.  I am sure many of you can relate to this, since many if not all have experienced intimate loss.

ii.             Humility requires that I not only accept it but to see it as a good.  Either God works out everything for the good for those who love Him or He does not, that choice is for each of us to decide.

iii.          Humility also requires that I confess my sins and if necessary, over and over, and over, and over, and over again!

3)   Finally we must love without measure or condition. 

i.               God demands that I not only love those who love me but even those who hurt me, be it physically, emotionally and even spiritually.  I must forgive and love them.  I must be willing to let everything go just as Christ did when He carried the cross for me and allowed me to put nails through His hands and feet.

ii.             Love has no value if I only love those who love me.

iii.          When we recall to mind some of the saints in the Church, such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Therese of the Little Flower we can see love personified, come to life actually.  Love moved mountains for Francis and Therese, this is quite obvious both from reading into their personal lives but also the blessings that came even after their deaths, be it miracles through their intercession and the blessings in their communities.

When we think that we “CAN’T” it is really because we “WON’T.”   To have great faith as Jesus demands takes hard work, not just some head belief, but it takes prayer, humility, and a love that knows no limits. 

Struggles are real, be they struggles with suffering or sin.  But we are not a defeated people.  God has given us the means to live lives of joy and happiness, so if there is a tree or a mountain in your way, just tell it to move and it will.  And why will it move?  Because Jesus said it would!

Amen!  FJ