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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

October 05, 2025

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Collect

Almighty ever-living God,
who in the abundance of your kindness
surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you,
pour out your mercy upon us
to pardon what conscience dreads
and to give what prayer does not dare to ask.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4

Habakkuk called out to the Lord: 2 “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.” 2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. 3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. 4 Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.”

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

Second Reading 2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14

I remind you, Timothy, to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Acclamation before the Gospel 1 Pt 1:25

Gospel Lk 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could 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 slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? 8 Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? 9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

Catena Nova

In a flash, faith can produce the most wonderful effects in the soul. Enlightened by faith the soul gazes at the glory of God so far as human nature allows and, even before the consummation of all things, ranging beyond the boundaries of the universe, it has a vision of the judgement and of God making good the rewards he promised. As far as it depends on you then, cherish this gift of faith that leads you to God and you will then receive the higher gift which no effort of yours can reach, no power of yours attain. (St Cyril of Jerusalem)

It is up to us to sow this mustard seed in our minds and let it grow within us into a great tree of understanding reaching up to Heaven and elevating all our faculties; then it will spread out branches of knowledge, the pungent savor of its fruit will make our mouths burn, its fiery kernel will kindle a blaze within us, enflaming our hearts and the taste of it, will dispel our unenlightened repugnance. Yes, it is true: a mustard seed is indeed an image of the Kingdom of God. (St. Peter Chrysologus)

The Word of God is like a grain of mustard seed, before cultivation it looks extremely small. But when it is cultivated in the right way, it grows so large, that the highest principles of both sensible and intelligible creation, come like birds to revive themselves in it. For the principles – or inner essences of all things, are embraced by the Word but the Word is not embraced by anything. Hence, the Lord has said, that whoever has faith like a grain of mustard seed, can move a mountain by a word of command (cf. Mt 17:20), that is, he can destroy the devil’s dominion over us and remove it from its foundation. The grain of mustard seed is the Lord, who by faith is sown spiritually in the hearts of those who accept Him. (St. Maximus the Confessor)

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. (St. Teresa of Avila)

Faith and love are like the blind person’s guides. They will lead you along a path unknown to you, to the place where God is hidden. Faith, the secret we mentioned, is comparable to the feet by which one journeys to God, and love is like one's guide. In dealing with these mysteries and secrets of faith, the soul will merit through love the discovery of the content of faith, that is, the Bridegroom Whom she desires to possess in this life through the special grace of divine union with God, as we said, and in the next through the essential glory, by which she will rejoice in Him not in a hidden way, but face to face. [1 Cor. 13:12]. (St. John of the Cross)

And like the little grain of mustard seed …we should set it in the garden of our soul, all weeds being pulled out for the better feeding of our faith. Then shall it grow and through the true belief of God’s word … we shall be well able to command a great mountain of tribulation to void from the place where it stood in our hearts, whereas with a very feeble faith and faint, we shall scarcely be able to remove a little hillock. (St. Thomas More)

The life of faith is the untiring pursuit of God through all that disguises and disfigures him and, as it were, destroys and annihilates him. (Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade)

Homily

Well, it's census time. Every Sunday in October a census is taken in Catholic churches throughout the country to count the number of people who attend Mass. While such statistics do not tell the whole story of “faith” in the United States, recent studies paint somewhat different pictures of the current scene. On the rosier side, a Msgr. Roger Landry speaking of the American bishops’ three-year “Eucharistic Revival” — which was meant to address not only the decline in [Mass] attendance but also a perceived loss of Eucharistic faith — notes how

Among the fruits of the Revival is clearly the uptick in Mass attendance, which has returned to pre-COVID levels after decreasing by a quarter by the end of the pandemic. After seven decades of a downward slope from 75% to 16%, to have Mass attendance rise to 24% in three years is a great sign of hope. (Roger Landry, "Advancing the Eucharistic Revival; National Catholic Register"; June 21, 2025; https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/advancing-the-eucharistic-revival)

On the more pessimistic — if not realistic — side, Michael Rota, a professor from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, was part of a study published in Church Life Journal that found 9 out of 10 cradle Catholics are gone and that the church in the United States is about to shrink dramatically. Rota believes, moreover, that the main reason for the decline is loss of “community” — something Catholics are not especially good at forming. (Michael Rota and Stephen Bullivant, "Religious Transmission: A Solution to the Church's Biggest Problem," Church Life Journal, August 12, 2025; https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/a-solution-to-the-churchs-biggest-problem/)

Now I realize the truth lies somewhere between these contrasting assessments. But I do know one thing — taking a census of who's still here does nothing to reach those who are not. Such as a close friend of mine with whom I have had conversations over the years about his absence. He is a man in his early 60s, a budding religious poet, a St. Augustine enthusiast, devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and who watches a daily Mass online — but has not returned to in-person worship with any regularity. The reason? Not the usual suspects — increasing secularization, fallout from scandals, lingering fears of contagion, poor religious education. Rather, it’s because he does not want to be, in his words, merely a “registered parishioner who gets envelopes.” (He told me last Sunday that the church he does attend on occasion now has a debit card machine in the foyer where you can make your contribution electronically — something which has not helped him "reconnect"). All of which is to say, he does not want to feel like a statistic who might or might not get counted in a census. Nor should his absence be chalked up to a “loss of faith” in the Real Presence.

For I know he would agree with something Catholic novelist Flannery O’Connor once quipped in a collection of her letters entitled The Habit of Being. In a memoir of an encounter with another Catholic literary figure, Mary McCarthy, O’Connor recalled how the former

said when she was a child and received the Host, she thought of it as the Holy Ghost, He being the ‘most portable’ person of the Trinity; now she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one. I (O'Connor) then said, in a very shaky voice, ‘Well, if it's a symbol, to hell with it.’ That was all the defense I was capable of but I realize now that this is all I will ever be able to say about it, outside of a story, except that it is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable.

Now if the Eucharist is ever to become for those who will not be counted in the census the center of their existence so that all the rest of their life is expendable, well, all those little mustard seeds keeping them away will have to find a way to become mulberry trees capable of housing a robust faith. And the Body of Christ given to us in the Sacrament, and the Body of Christ which gathers to celebrate it, must have a true and felt correspondence. Christ present in the Sacred Species and Christ present in the assembly — aspects of the same Mystery of the Whole Christ, Head and Members.

Unless and until that happens, we are likely to live for some time longer in a period of decline -- those of us who are still here being a Diaspora of sorts -- something like the prophet Habakkuk who foresaw Babylon's rise to power and the impending Exile of the Jews. Where words like Paul's to Timothy were vital as the deportees trying to maintain their faith in trying circumstances: Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us (II). And if we see people all around us abandon their ancestral religion, we have no reason to be smug. We are here, after all, to wait upon the Lord at his Table and lest we think we are doing him the favor, best we hear him tell us, Is [the master] grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? 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'" (G). Who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen.

Intercessions (Joe Milner; The Sunday Website)

For the Church: that God will stir up the Spirit who has been given to each of us and embolden us to love without expectation and to forgive without condition.

For the flowering of faith: that we may grow in our reliance upon and loyalty to God in every area of our lives and be open to following wherever God will lead us.

For a vision of hope: that all who face violence, destruction, or chaos may be renewed by the Spirit of God and become a source of light and promise to others who are struggling.

For all who are searching for meaning and value in their life: that they may experience God's gentle invitations and recognize the goodness which God has in mind for them.

For grace to support one another: that we may affirm and support one another's growth in faith through all of life's phases and transitions.

For all who suffer for their faith: that those living in oppressive societies may know God's presence in their suffering and that the Spirit will renew and strengthen them.

For those who work for social justice: that they may continue to manifest the vision of God's reign where all will be sisters and brothers caring for and seeking the good of one another.

For all who are ill: that God will bring healing and courage to all who have diagnosed with cancer or other life-threatening disease and help them to draw closer to God during this time of struggle.

For an end to violence and warfare: that God will open the minds and hearts of all leaders, turn them away from bloodshed, and protect children and the elderly from harm.

God, the rock of our salvation, whose gifts can never fail, deepen the faith you have already bestowed and let its power be seen in your servants. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

Offertory Antiphon

Offertory Hymn (Orlando Gibbons)

O Lord, increase my faith
strengthen me
and confirm me in thy true faith,
endue me with wisdom,
charity, chastity and patience
in all my adversity.
Sweet Jesus, say Amen.

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