Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C

Reflecting on Lk. 17:5-10

For me, the miracle of the mustard seed is realized in what might seem like SMALL STUFF, but is actually the things that are huge in our lives. I will never forget a trip to the Holy Land many years ago. It was my privilege to assign readers from our group of sixty for every Mass and prayer service we would attend during our two weeks there.

Imagine the thrill of getting to read the gospel account of the Last Supper in the VERY ROOM where that meal took place. Imagine reading about the birth of Jesus IN THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITIY. But when we reached our last destination, the place of the tomb of Lazarus in Bethany, my heart sank. I had saved the reading of the resurrection of Lazarus for the best reader in our group, the person who had recently experienced a great loss, the person whose life best witnessed Jesus’ power to lift us from the tomb.

And when we arrived, I realized that I had accidentally given that reading to two people! Does this seem like SMALL stuff to you? I could have died, right there in the tomb once laid out for Lazarus. I was beside myself. Being careful with the small details of ritual is a sacred responsibility, and I had made a terrible mistake.

But, not to worry. The second person was, somehow, totally unaware that he was set to read. Rita stepped forward, and I have never heard that gospel proclaimed with such power.

Afterward, the guide gave us little packets of mustard seeds. Even today, the memory lingers. Answered prayer shows up in the small stuff.

What “little” moments of grace have you experienced in your life?

Kathy McGovern ©2022

Ordinary Time - Cycle C