Thought for the Day – 11 November – “If you had faith …”

Thought for the Day – 11 November – Monday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:1-6 and The Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours (c 316-397)

St Martin, the Miracle-Worker

By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Two Essays on Biblical and Ecclesiastical Miracles

And the Lord said,
“If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed,
you could say to this sycamine tree,
‘Be rooted up and be planted in the sea,’
and it would obey you.”

Luke 17:6

“Before Martin was a Bishop, while he was near St Hilary at Poitiers, a certain Catechumen, who lived in his monastery, died of a fever, in Martin’s absence, without baptism.
On his return, the Saint went by himself, into the cell where the body lay, threw himself upon it, prayed and then raising himself with his eyes fixed on it, patiently waited his restoration, which took place before the end of two hours ….
At another time, on his giving orders for cutting down a pine to which idolatrous honour was paid, a heathen said, “If thou has confidence in thy God, let us hew the tree and do thou receive it as it falls.   If thy Lord is with thee, thou wilt escape harm.”
Martin accepted the condition and when the tree was falling upon him, made the Sign of the Cross.   The tree reeled round and fell on the other side!   This miracle converted the vast multitude who were spectators of it.”

St Martin of Tours, Pray for Us!