BULLETIN, AUGUST 13, 2023

This week’s Sermon
The faith of the father.
St. Matthew 17 (14-23)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ
Today in the Gospel reading Christ is challenging our faith. Usually
we are happy about the strength of our faith until we get to a
critical moment in our life. Our faith is always challenged when we have obstacles in front
of us to overcome. Our life is possible because of faith. We could not do anything if we
did not believe in ourselves. We could not have a normal social life if we did not believe
in people who surround us. We could not live our lives in fullness if we did not believe in
God.
In modern culture faith is more closely associated with belief. When we ask people
what is faith, they usually answer that faith is about believing in the existence of something
invisible. The Greek word however for faith has much deeper meaning. It refers to a
personal trust, a trust that is a result of a deep relationship, a trust that exists between a
child and a healthy parent or between a husband and a wife. It is a kind of trust that can be
broken only by death.
In today’s Gospel we see that a man who was desperate comes to Christ with a
desperate request. His son the most precious thing in his life is out of his hands, he belongs
to the demons. He has unconditional Love for his son but his relationship with God
is not where it needs to be.
Starting with Abraham, God has proven that he loves us unconditionally with the
love of healthy parents to their children. This is a love that can always be trusted, love that
never fails, and love that is always ready for self-sacrifice. This love however works best
if it is mutual, which depends upon the trust being mutual. Starting from the times of
Abraham we have always broken God's trust and God has always renewed His covenant
with us.
Journey through the Daily Gospels
Sunday Sermons