Faith Must Have Substance

Homily for Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

On initial glance, this Gospel passage feels like a peek into the life of Jesus on a day when he was not at his best. In the morning, he yelled at a tree because it had no breakfast to offer him. His poor attitude continued as he arrived at the temple courts, flipping tables and ordering people to leave.

The following day in an attempt to explain it all, he told his disciples that if their faith was sincere, they could order mountains to fling themselves into the sea, and the mountains would obey.

Was Jesus just “hangry” (to use a modern play on words), or is there a lesson for us in this passage. I’ve certainly been “hangry” enough at various times in my life to understand the desire to yell at trees without fruit and become annoyed at everyone I encounter. Yet I don’t think this is a story of how Jesus acted on a day without enough food.

Everything Jesus says and does throughout his life is an example and a lesson. Yelling at a tree that’s not bearing fruit and clearing out the temple are related stories meant to teach us what genuine faith looks like.

From a distance, the fig tree looked promising with its bushy leaves; but up close, Jesus found that it offered nothing of substance. The temple courts were meant to be a house of prayer for all people to find joy and worship God. Yet it had been turned into a marketplace full of corruption and distraction.

Genuine faith has great potential — the potential to order mountains into the sea. Yet more often, our faith is more like a bushy tree that looks promising but offers no breakfast or a busy marketplace that draws people away from their true purpose. Our faith needs substance.

The first reading should be labeled “An Introduction.” The last chapters of the Book of Sirach are a series of eulogies of the great heroes of the Jewish Scriptures. These are men and women who were trees that bore good fruit, people who knew the importance of faith in their lives. They bear out the wisdom that comes to us from Jesus in this passage from the Gospel of St. Mark. When we actively live out our faith, following the example of Jesus, God will work through us to bear much fruit for his kingdom.