From Little to Great Faith!

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Amos 3: 1-8, 4: 11-12; Mt 8: 23-27

Today’s Gospel invites us to move from little faith to great faith. 

The Gospel describes Jesus getting into the boat with his disciples. When he falls asleep, a sudden but violent storm strikes the boat, and the disciples begin to cry out, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing.’ Though Jesus chides their little faith, he calms the storm.

This text calls for an examination of little faith. We may understand little faith not as the total absence of faith but as faith that has not yet matured. The problem with little faith is that it quickly concludes that God would not intervene or delay His response. It measures God’s power by the size of the storm rather than measuring the storm by the greatness of God. 

Secondly, little faith is too weak to withstand the storms of life. It weakens our resolve about God’s providence and leads us to conclude that we are doomed. At that moment, fear becomes greater than faith. This is why the disciples forget or ignore the Lord’s presence with them in the boat and behave as if their lives are beyond the saving power of Jesus. 

Thirdly, little faith distracts our attention so badly that our eyes are fixed on the storm instead of Jesus. Though it does not deny Jesus, it leads us to behave as if the Lord cannot do anything to change our lives. As a result, we forget God’s transforming power in our lives. Thus, it closes the door to miracles before God even acts.

While the invitation is to move from little to great faith, we must be clear that great faith does not mean that we never struggle or experience fear at all. Instead, it refuses to give up on God. It helps us realize that miracles happen when hope refuses to die. It helps us rest assured that though we may not understand how, God will certainly act on our behalf and in our favor. 

When Jesus invites us to move to great faith, he wants us to know that no storm is beyond his command. The people of great faith never forget that Jesus is in our boat. 

Let us pray that we may behave as people of great faith, knowing that Jesus’ accompanying presence will lead us to safety. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar