Lord, increase our faith

The cry of the disciples in today’s Gospel is very familiar to us: “Lord, increase our faith!” It is a prayer that rises from our own hearts so often, especially in moments of trial, confusion, or darkness. The first reading from the prophet Habakkuk begins with the same kind of cry. He is overwhelmed by violence, injustice, and suffering, and he dares to ask God: “How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen.” These are not the words of someone who has lost faith. They are the words of someone who believes in God, but struggles to understand His silence. Many of us have prayed the same way when faced with illness, family struggles, or when we look at the brokenness of our world.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that even faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to do the impossible. He is not asking us to have a massive, unshakable faith from the start. He is telling us that even the smallest seed of trust, if placed in Him, can grow and move mountains. How consoling this is! It means that the mother who continues to pray for her sick child, the father who keeps struggling but does not stop coming to Mass, the young person who quietly resists temptation out of love for God—all of them are living out mustard-seed faith. It may look small, but in God’s hands it has great power.

So today the Word of God invites us to trust more deeply, to let our faith, however small, become alive through prayer, humility, and service. When life feels heavy and our prayers seem unanswered, we can take courage from Habakkuk and from the disciples.

Let us make the disciples’ prayer our own today: “Lord, increase our faith!” Increase our faith to trust You when we cannot see, to serve You without seeking praise, and to keep walking forward, one step at a time, knowing You are always with us.