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Connections&
October 7, 2001 -- 27th Sunday of the Year
"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." Luke 17:5-10
'The Giant Who Was More Than a Match'
Once there was a tiny village cursed by a ferocious monster who blocked the only road leading in and out of the village. Many courageous knights set out to fight the monster but no matter which weapon they chose, the monster, with his magical powers and great strength, would overwhelm every warrior. One knight, who brandished a club of wood, was flattened by a club twice its size. A second knight attacked the monster with fire but was sizzled to a crisp when the monster blew a fire twice as hot back at him. A third knight wielded a sword of steel, but was felled by the monster's magic sword that was twice as cutting and sharp. The fate of these three knights discouraged any further attempts to slay the monster and the villagers continued to live in fear and isolation.
One day, Jack, the village fool, announced that he had an idea to vanquish the monster. Most people laughed at Jack; only the curious and the courageous marched out with him, helping him carry food and water to the place where the monster blocked the road. The monster roared and glared at Jack. The onlookers gasped as Jack grabbed an apple and walked right up to the monster.
"Are you hungry?" Jack asked.
The monster's eyes narrowed as he sniffed the apple. The monster delicately took the apple from Jack's quivering hand. The monster raised his fist high and brought it down in front of the terrified crowd. Bam! Opening his fist Jack and the townsfolk saw two apples, juicier and redder than the one the monster had eaten. The monster then took Jack's clay urn of water and gave Jack two golden pitchers filled with water, sweeter and clearer than the first. In return for the small loaf of bread Jack gave him, the monster presented two large and rich cakes of fruit and chocolate. And so it went.
The people ran back to tell the others in the village of this miracle. When they returned Jack and the monster were sharing a delectable spread of food, talking and laughing like two old friends. Even the most cynical of the villagers were convinced that this monster was now a blessing to their hamlet rather than a curse.
[Adapted from "The Giant Who Was More Than a Match" by Aaron Piper.]
CONNECTION: Jack possess the "mustard seed" faith of the Gospel - the unshakable conviction that every small act of selfless kindness can transform even the most horrible of monsters into blessings, that even the smallest act of goodness and justice can change the world - or at least a small corner of it. In today's Gospel, Jesus asks all who would be his disciples to embrace the hope of the
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