But by providence the two readings do carry one common theme – small faith.
In the Gospel we have the disciples in the boat with Jesus during the storm. Jesus responds to them with a question and a statement, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith.” In the first reading we have Lot who is paralyzed by fear. We are told that he and is family have to be “seized by the hand” and led our of Sodom. He is then told to do two things. We tend to remeber the first and forget the second.
Don’t look back or stop anywhere on the Plain.
He willingly accepts the first “don’t look back.” But he is too frightened to obey the second “don’t stop anywhere on the plain.” Instead he begs to be allowed to go to a nearby place. Twice we are told that it is “small.” Instead of being able to trust and go far. Lot prefers small and close by. His fear limits him.
How often, even when we are in a bad place and know we need to change, are we like Lot? We fear to really venture out. We are willing to change, willing to move, but only as far as absolutely necessary. We are afraid to dream big. We are afraid to really step away from what we know.
We call faith a theological virtue, because we believe it is not the result of what we do, but is a gift from God. The first action is His. He pours the gift of faith into our hearts and it is never small. It becomes small when we allow it to be covered over and pressed down by our fear. That fear can take many shapes but it is always fear.
The readings today invite us to look inside ourselves and examine our faith. Are we allowing it to unfold and fill us? Or are we allowing our fears (our fears of the new, the unknown) to compress our faith to make it small, to lock it away in a tiny corner of our soul?
Unleash the faith that God has planted in you, and you will be amazed at where it can lead.
