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Today in the Gospel we read Jesus’s parable of the mustard seed. In Jesus’ day the
mustard plant was considered a common weed. It was everywhere and so it had become a nuisance. It was something people
pulled up and threw away. Jesus was trying to show the people in his time, as well as today, that faith can be found in the
simplest of things. The Scribes and Pharisees were revered for their holiness just because they were so far removed from the
problems and concerns of the average person on the street, so the people thought that they themselves could not be holy.
Faith isn’t something that’s unattainable for the common man or woman. And, if we truly take Jesus Christ at His word,
then all we need is a little bit of faith. We only need to trust in God’s promise that He will “never leave nor forsake” us.
Let’s face it, life is tough! It doesn’t matter who you are, we all have trouble in our lives. Some of us have had our hearts
broken, spouses who walked out on us, jobs that suddenly ended, loved ones who died too soon, health that rapidly
deteriorated, and so forth. Sometimes, especially if there’s a prolonged period of suffering, we may even begin to doubt that
God is on our side, or question if He even still loves us. And, if a person has gone through a lot of these kinds of things, it’s
then that we may start wondering: Why? Is there still something worth living for? Where is God in all of this?
The Serenity Prayer, which many of us already know, may be helpful in times like those we are talking about today. Here
is an expanded version:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.

Fr. Tony