Twenty Seventh Sunday Homily in Ordinary Time Year C

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4             2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14           Luke 17:5-10

Stir into Flame Faith and Faithfulness

An Animating, Vigorous, and Courageous Faith; Faith and Courage; Genuineness of Faith; Hang in There!

Introduction

Faith is not static—it is a living flame. It can burn brightly, giving warmth and light to others, or it can flicker, neglected and weak. The readings of this Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, invite us to rekindle the fire of our faith, to stir into flame the gift of God entrusted to us.

The prophet Habakkuk cries out in anguish: “How long, O Lord?” His complaint resonates with all who struggle to see justice, peace, or hope in a broken world. God answers not with instant solutions but with a vision: “The righteous shall live by faith” (Hab 2:4). Faith, therefore, is not denial of reality but trust in God’s promise even when human eyes see only chaos.

Paul writes to Timothy with the heart of a mentor: “Fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Tim 1:6). Faithfulness demands courage—especially when it is easier to remain silent or to conform. Timothy is urged to guard the deposit of faith with the Spirit’s help, to witness without shame, to persevere with confidence. This is not a faith of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

In Luke’s Gospel, the apostles ask, “Increase our faith!” Jesus responds that even a mustard seed of faith is enough to do what seems impossible. Yet He also reminds us that faith is expressed in humble service. We are servants of God, called not to demand reward, but to live faithfully, daily, in obedience and love.

Together these readings remind us: faith is God’s gift, but it is our responsibility to guard it, nurture it, and stir it into flame. Faith is not measured in grand gestures but in small, steady acts of trust and service that reflect the fire of God’s Spirit within us.

1st Reading – Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4

² How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not intervene.

³ Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord.

² Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily.

³ For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.

⁴ The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

¹ Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
⁷ For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

⁸ Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
⁹ Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

2nd Reading – 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14

Beloved:
⁶ I remind you, to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.

⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.

⁸ So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

¹³ Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴ Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.

Alleluia – 1 Peter 1:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
²⁵ The word of the Lord remains forever.
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel – Luke 17:5-10

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

⁶ 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.

⁷ “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?

⁸ Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’?

⁹ Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?

¹⁰ So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

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Moral Story

A young soldier once received a lantern from his father before going to war. “Keep this light burning,” his father said, “and it will remind you that God is with you.” At first, the soldier carefully trimmed the wick, kept the oil filled, and let it shine. But as battles raged and duties grew, he became careless. The flame grew weak and finally died.

One night, in darkness, he stumbled into danger and was captured. Alone in prison, he wept, remembering the extinguished lantern. After his release, he returned home ashamed. His father embraced him and said, “Son, the light can always be rekindled. The flame of faith may dim, but God never abandons you.”

From then on, the soldier tended the lantern faithfully. He carried it to others, lighting their lamps when theirs had gone out. His own heart, once weak, now burned with strength and hope.

Faith, like the flame, must be stirred, protected, and shared. When we rekindle it in prayer, Scripture, service, and courage, it becomes a beacon not only for us but for those around us.

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10 Bible Verses

1. Habakkuk 2:4 — “The righteous shall live by faith.”

2. 2 Timothy 1:7 — “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

3. Luke 17:6 — “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed … nothing will be impossible for you.”

4. Hebrews 11:1 — “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

5. Romans 10:17 — “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

6. James 1:3 — “The testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

7. 1 Corinthians 16:13 — “Be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

8. Galatians 2:20 — “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

9. Ephesians 6:16 — “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

10. Matthew 17:20 — “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed … nothing will be impossible for you.”

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10 Religious Jokes

1. Why did the mustard seed refuse to brag? Because it had “little faith” in boasting.

2. Why did the disciple bring a ladder to church? To reach higher faith!

3. What do you call praying in Wi-Fi trouble? Faith without connection.

4. Why did Peter sink in water? He lost his surf-confidence!

5. How does faith grow? By exercising it—no gym membership required.

6. Why did the pastor bring a candle to Bible study? To “stir into flame” the Spirit.

7. What do you call a nervous choir? Faith-shakers.

8. Why did the sheep trust the shepherd? It had “pasture” faith.

9. How did Noah light up the Ark? With floodlights and faith-lamps.

10. Why did the disciples carry small seeds? To remind them their faith could move mountains!

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10 Great People Sayings

1. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

2. “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” — Thomas Aquinas

3. “Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.” — Elton Trueblood

4. “God does not call us to be successful, but to be faithful.” — Mother Teresa

5. “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings while the dawn is still dark.” — Rabindranath Tagore

6. “Little faith will bring your soul to heaven; great faith will bring heaven to your soul.” — Charles Spurgeon

7. “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” — Augustine of Hippo

8. “Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.” — Khalil Gibran

9. “Stand firm in your faith, and you will stand firm in your life.” — Catherine Booth

10. “When faith is stirred into flame, courage is born.” — Anonymous

Homily

We have come to think that modern technology has vastly changed our world. At the same time there is an old adage that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Take insulation as one example. Long before human beings ever thought of such a thing as controlling temperatures by special types of insulating materials, the praying mantis was surrounding its eggs with a frothy mass of bubbles to protect them from the weather. The bubbles work on the same principle as our thermos bottles. No matter how cold or how warm the air gets, the tender eggs within are protected. Or take air conditioning as another example. Honey bees maintain a constant temperature and a specific condition of airflow in order that their larvae may be properly reared and honey successfully cured. Muscular exertion of certain bees produces heat from their bodies, and then other bees — the farmers — anchor themselves to the floor of the hive and vibrate their wings to create and maintain the exact amount of air circulation needed.

All three readings of today’s liturgy support the old adage that the more things change, the more they remain the same. From at least 600 RC, about when the prophecy of Habakkuk was written, through 100 A.D., roughly when the second letter to Timothy was written, right up to the present, there have been problems with faith and faithfulness.

Habakkuk’s times were as internally wicked and internationally threatening as any before or since. It looked as though nothing would stand in the Assyrians’ way to conquer more of the world, including the Jews’ southern kingdom of Judah, where Habakkuk lived. Meanwhile, Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian armies became the new mighty world power to contend with, Unfortunately, Jehoiakim, the King of Judah, had backed the Assyrians, the losing side.

Habakkuk was a deep thinker and, according to the picturesque phrase of St Jerome, a “wrestler with God”. A faithful man, Habakkuk is all the more real to us because he knew what it is to experience temptations to faithlessness. Darineg but respectfully in today’s dialogue with God, he wanted to know some of the same things we would like to know.

Why, for example, is God so silent while the faithless conquer and the wicked devour the good? Why doesn’t God intervene in the world — especially when suffering and evil seem to be triumphing? Why does God tolerate the wicked? The J udeans had sinned, to be sure, but why should God choose to punish them by means of monstrous people who were more wicked than themselves?

God gave many interesting answers. He said that final justice will surely come (2:3) — in God’s own good time. Meanwhile, in ways we don’t understand, God is preparing the final victory of justice. Bringing the message down to individuals, God said that the evildoers shall pass away, but good people shall live, because of their faithfulness (2:4).

Faithfulness in general is an unswerving adherence to someone or something by way of a union such as marriage, friendship, honour, oath, or promise. It goes hand in hand with faith.

Faithfulness in the face of negative situations doesn’t demand that we see these as being “the will of God” and remain passively accepting. In the face of outrage and violence, God affirms agonized search and active questioning like Habakkuk’s. That search and questioning don’t necessarily lessen faith or loyalty. Also basic is the truth that God has many fair-weather friends — those who are with Him as long as every—’ thing goes their way. Real faith is proved by steadfast loyalty to God in times of adversity. Today’s Responsorial Psalm urges us not to harden our hearts to God, in bad times as well as good, “the human heart takes the shape of what it loves” ( Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2404 ).

In today’s Gospel we see the Apostles asking the Lord to increase their faith (v. 5). They had guessed correctly that theological faith is a gift. No one buys it, earns it, conquers it, or wins it. It comes from God, and one can only do what the Apostles in fact did. Pray for it and for its increase when it is weak, especially when assailed by indifference or doubt.

Jesus used the picture of a tiny seed to move a mighty sycamore tree as a metaphor for faith being the greatest force in the world. Even on a purely natural plane, things that look impossible become possible when approached with faith. Examples abound — the invention of the simple electric light bulb, the airplane, space travel, medical marvels, television, and computers are but a few.

In the supernatural order, faith is the only power that can save the world, a seemingly impossible task. The rest of the Gospel passage (vv. 7-10) teaches the disciples the necessity of being humble in the service of God. In words that don’t apply to other areas like labour management relations, Jesus says that we can never have any claim on God. Our greatest response to the Giver of divine faith is works of service.

But faith is never definitively acquired; it must ceaselessly be reanimated. That is part of the message of today’s excerpt from the second letter to Timothy. It’s the beginning of a series from this letter for the next few Sundays. In about 100 AD, its author made this letter out to be St Paul’s pastoral directions to a young, timid, sickly bishop. By attributing authorship to Paul, the author brings forward the authority of Paul, needed to guide the Church in a transitional age. That reminds us of the humorous story of an updated piece of advice to a new pastor. On his very first day in office, this new pastor got a call from his predecessor, He congratulated him on his new charge and told him that in the centre drawer of the desk in the office he had left three envelopes, all numbered, which he was to open in order when he got into trouble.

After a short-lived honeymoon with the congregation, the heat began to rise and the pastor decided to open the first envelope. The note inside read, “If it will help, blame me for the problem. After all, I am gone and have new problems of my own.”

That Worked for a while, but then things went bad again. The pastor opened the second envelope, which read, “Blame the congregation. They have a lot of other interests. They can take it.”

That too worked well for a while, but then the storm clouds gathered again, and in desperation the pastor went to the drawer and opened the third envelope. The message read, “Prepare three envelopes!”

Today’s advice to Timothy begins by reminding him — and us — to stir into flame the gifts God has given (v. 6). Because Timothy is             young and heresies and other dangers great, he must keep his courage high (v. 7). He is given a version of the message of Habakkuk. Bear hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God. In your efforts, be strong, in order to have the power to cope; be loving, especially for the sake of those with whom you will deal; and be wise — with saintliness keeping control in the face of temptations to panic.

Anyone loyal and faithful to Paul toward the end of Paul’s life would automatically be tempted to lose faith. For one thing, loyalty to Paul meant loyalty to one considered a criminal (v. 8). The aged Paul was in a Roman . jail. For another thing, there was the hardship which the Gospel entails – difficult in the face of the world’s self-indulgence. In the long term, however, we have to remind ourselves that faithfulness to the Gospel is rewarding. The biblical notion of faith, of course, means a commitment of the entire person to Jesus. This means action as well as intellectual assent. It is steadfast loyalty to God no matter what comes.

So Timothy must keep the sound teachings of the faith inviolate. The model is, at bottom, the teachings of Jesus himself. Though Jesus’ doctrines can grow and develop, they remain fundamentally the same through all ages and fads. We adhere in faith, and with a loyalty ever true, and a hope that never loses confidence in Gods And we must cooperate with the help of the Holy Spirit that is within us (v. 14) to guard the rich deposit of faith.

In ancient times, before banks as we know them, one of the places where people often deposited their valuables was the Temple. The deposit’s safekeeping was considered a sacred mist. Faith, the greatest force in the world, is the richest deposit possible, and the most sacred of trusts. Paul had entrusted his work and his life to God. While a criminal in a Roman jail, treated at best indifferently by his barbarous keepers, he didn’t change his faith, or his loyalty and steadfastness to God’s plans for him. Why? Because it was inconceivable to him that God,

Whom he had come to know intimately, would let him down. God’s message to Habakkuk and Paul and Timothy and the Apostles is just as important to us now as ever in history.

Conclusion

Faith is both gift and responsibility. It is not something we lock away, but something we must stir, fan, and live daily. The cry of Habakkuk reminds us to cling to God in hard times. Paul urges Timothy—and us—to be bold, fearless, and faithful stewards of the Spirit’s fire. Jesus teaches that even the smallest faith, if authentic, holds unimaginable power.

But faith is not magic. It is tested in obedience, proven in service, and strengthened in perseverance. Like servants, we do what we are commanded—not for applause, but for love of God. When faith is stirred into flame, it lights our path, warms our hearts, and radiates hope to others. May our lives testify: God’s gift is alive in us.

Prayers of the Faithful

1. For the Church: that she may stir into flame the faith of believers through Word, Sacraments, and witness. We pray to the Lord.

2. For leaders of nations: that they govern with integrity and encourage faith and justice in society. We pray to the Lord.

3. For those whose faith is weak or tested: that they may find renewal, strength, and hope in Christ. We pray to the Lord.

4. For families: that parents may pass on the flame of faith to their children with joy and perseverance. We pray to the Lord.

5. For the sick, suffering, and those in despair: that the fire of faith may console and heal them. We pray to the Lord.

6. For all of us gathered here: that our faith may not remain dormant, but be fanned into flame through prayer, service, and love. We pray to the Lord.

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