Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

October 5, 2025

Luke 17: 5-10

In today’s gospel reading from Luke, we have a saying of Jesus and one of his stories The saying about the mustard seed appears in all of the gospels except John, the gospels we call the synoptic gospels. The story about the servant, or really slave in the text, appears only in Luke. Why do you suppose they are put together like this?

We often complain that our faith doesn’t seem to be enough. I go to work; I work hard and long hours; I pray, but nothing seems to happen; I care for my family, my friends, my parishioners. Or, I go to school; I try to study hard; I find it difficult to concentrate; I pray, but God seems so far away. I am sure all of us sometimes have thoughts similar to these. Sometimes we feel that the very earth we walk on drags us down.

So what does Jesus tell us about prayer and faith. He tells us that God is always listening to our prayers. He says that where two or three are gathered in His name, he is there in our midst. He tells us that if our faith is the size of a mustard seed, we could tell a huge mulberry tree to be uprooted and be planted in the sea and it would obey us. I remember at one time it was popular for ladies to have a tiny mustard seed in a round glass ball on a chain around their necks; that seed was so small. Jesus is saying that even if we had just that small amount of faith, we could do wonders to bring about his kingdom.

Now, the second part about the servant and the master has an important link to that saying about our faith and the mustard seed. Remember the story: a man comes in hot and tired from all day working in his fields. He is ready for his supper and tells his servant to get it for him and to serve him his meal while he eats. Then the servant can eat, after the master has finished and wants for nothing more. Jesus asks: “Is [that man] grateful to that servant because he did what he was commanded?” Jesus then brings the point home to us that we are that servant who is not to be thanked profusely just because we have done our job, what is expected from us because of who we are. Jesus refers to us as ‘unprofitable servants;’ perhaps a truer translation would be ‘unmeritorious servants’ or ‘servants who deserve no special praise.’

These two parts of this gospel fit together by telling us that the first step to having faith even the size of a mustard seed, is to only do what is expected, to be unmeritorious servant who are only being who we are and doing our job for the kingdom.

You have heard of Dorothy Day, a woman many considered a living saint. Many admirers came to visit her, to have a look at her, to cherish her, to speak to her, to touch her, if possible. Sometimes they would tell her, “You are a saint,” or she would overhear others saying of her, “She is a saint.” She would get upset, turn to the speaker, and say, “Don’t say that. Don’t make it too easy for yourself. Don’t escape this way. I know why you are saying, ‘she is a saint.’ You say that to convince yourself that you are different from me, that I am different from you. I am not a saint. I am like you. You could do what I do. You don’t need any more than you have; get kicking, please.” A mustard seed is very tiny; there is a chance of losing it if it is not handled carefully. Likewise, Faith: if it is not handled carefully there is a chance of losing it. We have to feed Faith. Do not despise small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. (Zech 4:10) Let us look at the Bible. Against a towering giant, a brook pebble seems futile. But God used such a pebble to topple Goliath. Compared to the tithes of the wealthy, a widow’s coins seem puny. But Jesus used them to inspire us. Moses had a staff. David had a sling. Samson had a jawbone. Mary had some ointment. Dorcas had a needle. All were used by God. 

So, today, we reaffirm ourselves to be just that servant doing his or her job. Then we can accomplish in Jesus great things for his kingdom.

Fr. John Tran