Although the path may be difficult, we do not embark on this journey alone. Today’s reflection reminds us that God’s plan is far greater than we could ever imagine, and we are called to participate by making our lives reflections of Christ’s generous love.

October 5, 2025: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Habakkuk 1:2–3; 2:2–4
Psalm 95:1–2, 6–9
2 Timothy 1:6–8, 13–14

Traversing the Vale of Tears

A reflection by Carter Fahey

Today’s reading from Habakkuk is perhaps a familiar refrain for many of us these days:

“How long, YHWH, am I to cry for help while you do not listen? How long will I cry “Oppression!” in your ear and you do not save? Why do you make me look upon injustice? Why do you countenance tyranny? Outrage and violence — this is all I see!” It is an honest plea to God by a prophet witnessing atrocities, a human expression of anger and disappointment directed towards the one who knows us better than we know ourselves.

In a world that seems rife with violence and division, so many of us have uttered similar cries, questioning God’s plan and wondering how God could let this happen. What good are our prayers in such a world? How long must we plead for God to intervene before something changes? These questions have faced generations of believers, and there is no easy answer.

Faced with these challenges, it may be tempting to simply give up or sink into despair, but today’s readings provide us with a path through our trials, reminding us that God can bring good from even the most difficult circumstances.

In response to the prophet’s plea, God speaks to him with a concrete course of action: “Write down this vision, inscribe it legibly on tablets so that a herald can easily read it, since this vision will stand as a witness to the appointed time of judgment; it gives faithful testimony about a time that will come.” Although we might not be prophets, we can apply these words to our own lives, too. In our fear, anger, and frustration, God gives us a path out of despair.

At first, God’s command to Habakkuk–to “make plain” (in the NRSV translation) his vision so that others might understand God’s will–might seem somewhat confounding to our modern sensibilities. What does it mean for the average person living in the 21st century? After all, most of us haven’t received any prophetic visions–or have we? Much like Habakkuk, we have received a vision from God: the glory of God’s kingdom and love. This is the vision that we must make plain to those around us, making our lives examples of Christ’s love in the world.

But God doesn’t just command Habakkuk to make plain the vision he received–God also makes a promise: there is still a vision. Even when things seem to be spiralling out of control in the world, God still has a plan and has promised that its fulfillment will be glorious. All is not lost–God’s plan is just too vast for us to understand fully. Escaping despair requires the patience to wait for God’s timing and trust in God’s will, but above all, it requires continuing faith in the face of difficulty, for “the righteous live by faith.”

It’s easy to explore these ideas in the abstract, but it’s not so simple to make our lives examples of God’s love amidst the turmoil of the world, all while trusting in God’s timing and plan. This is a difficult task, and one that requires courage–in a world which so often prioritizes individual comfort and convenience, dedicating one’s life to God’s service is radically counter-cultural, and it requires a commitment to love.

Most of the time, love is not the easy option. Often, it would be simpler to just close our hearts to those around us, to dig in, to draw in closer to keep away those who don’t agree with us, secure in the knowledge that we are in the right. It would save us a lot of pain and frustration–but it’s not what we’re called to do.

Instead, we are called to love truly and completely, which means encountering others with a generous heart, a willingness to listen, and an open mind: we are called to enter into dialogue with others, no matter how difficult. To do so, especially when we are conditioned to view every conversation as a battle to be won, sometimes seems pointless. It’s hard to imagine that anything could come of these conversations–what’s the point if nothing will change? Why risk heartbreak and pain?

Christ provides us with the answer: things can change. We do not embark on this journey alone–we have been granted “a spirit of power, of love, of self-discipline.” If we have faith and trust that God will bring fruit from our efforts, no matter how unlikely it seems. As Jesus tells the apostles in today’s gospel, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Uproot yourself and plant yourself in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Nothing is impossible for God–if we remain firm in our faith and trust in God’s plan, perhaps we will witness miracles beyond belief.

Carter Fahey (he/him) is the Associate Editor of Breath of the Spirit and studied at Oxford. He is a convert and has an interest in doing outreach work to Catholic communities to combat misinformation and create opportunities for community among LGBTQIA+ people.