Servants of the Supreme God
Deacon Jim Nuzzo
Increasing our faith is a good because a deeper faith draws us closer to God. So why in this Gospel does Jesus seem a little put off when the Apostles tell Him to increase their faith? Why does he imply that their faith is smaller than a mustard seed? Why does He tell them they are equivalent to workers in the field and should not expect the boss to wine and dine them? That they should be satisfied just knowing they did their job and did it well?
The answer is simple: the Apostles did not ask Jesus to increase their faith, they told Him. There is a difference between asking and telling.
Neither the Apostles, you, me, nor Father X are equal to God, nor do we have the authority to command God to do anything. Acknowledging and incorporating the supremacy of God is such an important part of our spiritual and temporal lives that 30% of the Ten Commandments revolve around it. On top of that, Jesus Himself tells us that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
To push God aside goes against the will of God. We were created by design to be close to God; it is a sin to live and act as if we are God. When we take over the role of God, objective truth begins to disappear. Right and wrong become subjective to the point that even the Fifth Commandment Thou shall not kill is considered arbitrary.
We see this in Baltimore where people are routinely shot to death. We see it in Annapolis where, for years, lobbyists have been working hard to legalize physician assisted suicide, the killing of the weak and the sick. And we hear about it across the country when people talk about the death penalty as if seeking revenge is equivalent to seeking justice.
For a near perfect example of man declaring his supremacy over God, we only have to look at the governor of California’s newest billboards. They advertise easy access to abortions with the tag line Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these (Mk 12:31). A billboard with that tagline is the equivalent of the crowds mocking Jesus as He hung on the Cross.
When we deny the supremacy of God, we are ultimately denying our own intrinsic value because our value comes from being made in the image and likeness of God. We are not like cats or dogs; we have a soul, we are the children of God, brothers and sisters to Jesus. However, we do not have the authority to take a life God has created.
In life, when we take on the role of God, we enter a bubble of our own creation. It is a false narrative in which we have all the answers, where we have total control and are free to use people according to our will. It is a toxic bubble that magnifies stress, worry, and anger, and it is a bubble destined to pop, leaving us broken and far from God.
When we recognize the supremacy of God, we open the door to the possibilities of life. We allow ourselves the freedom and clarity to discover the plan God has for each of us. Like the workers in the field we are free to concentrate on the work of Christ which is loving God and neighbor.
This does not mean life will always be great or that we will live in a state of perpetual happiness—that’s childish thinking. Christianity is too demanding and life is too harsh. But doing the work of Christ and living the commandments will grow us closer to God. We will be welcomed at the Gates of Heaven and we will finish this day and every day with the satisfaction of knowing that we loved and served the Lord.