Faithless and Perverse!

Saturday, August 8, 2026

Hab 1:12-2:4; Mt 17: 14-20

Today’s Gospel equates faith with doing good.

The text speaks of a father who is pained by his demon-possessed son’s misery. He is ‘a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water.’

Jesus is disappointed with his disciples that this is the boy they are unable to cure in his name. For Jesus, the boy’s case calls for urgent intervention on his behalf. That is when Jesus redefines faith. 

In Jesus’ view, having faith amounts to doing good. As such, a person faithful to God alleviates pain and suffering in the world. It is because authentic faith is inseparable from doing good, Jesus, the faithful Son of God, ‘goes about doing good’ (Acts 10:38).

When Jesus calls his disciples ‘faithless and perverse,’ he reveals his disappointment over the fact that, by not being able to heal the boy, they have failed to become effective channels of God’s love. Faith is not measured by doctrines but by its fruit.

It is for this reason Jesus believes that faith can never be passive. Instead, concrete acts of love define it anew. Faith constantly moves us towards those who suffer so that it finds and reasserts its purpose through such ceaseless intervention.

This is where Jesus also hints at the power of faith, even though it is the size of a mustard seed. As Christians, we move mountains when we are kind, forgiving, compassionate, just, inclusive, hospitable, etc. Genuine faith compels us for God’s work in the world.

We would be ‘faithless and perverse’ if the followers of Christ failed to let our faith be seen in action.

Let us pray that our faith may overflow into generous and abundant love. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar