A good teacher must have faith in his students and believe that they have it in them to succeed in whatever the task. The comments in the newspaper from students who won scholarships recently attest to this.

One student explained, “…school always pushed pupils and encouraged them to do better, even when they doubted themselves…”

Another recalled that his chemistry teacher told him back in form one that he could win a scholarship. He adds, “So it’s people like that who have been behind my back constantly and believing in me...”

Jesus is the perfect example of a great teacher. The apostles said to him, “Increase our faith”. Jesus is well aware of their greatness and the power that is within them and he lets them know it.

He tells them that if their faith were the size of a mustard seed they could do anything, even get a mulberry tree to uproot and plant itself in the sea. Jesus’ belief in the capability of his disciples is evident and his affirmation must have increased their own faith in themselves tremendously.

It is truly amazing what can be accomplished when we have faith in ourselves. We dig deep within our beings and discover the divinity present in us and in those around us.

In the world today people ask for their faith to be increased in different ways. Children are asking for their faith to be increased when they rebel.

As parents, do we respond by believing in their innate goodness like Jesus did, or do we berate them and damage their self-esteem? Young people are crying out for the adults to have faith in them when they indulge in excesses, be it in diets, outlandish fashions, even promiscuous behaviour. How do we respond?

Do we condemn them, expect the worst from them and then give up on them. Or are we like Jesus believing in them and helping them to discover the beauty of their deeper selves.

My sister and I were talking recently. As children growing up we remembered one of our uncles who had so much faith in us. During a period when we felt insecure he had a way of making us feel so good about ourselves.

He instilled confidence in us, so much so, we grew up with a sense that we could conquer anything. It was in the little things. He would choose us over the adults to be his partner when playing cards, and made us feel like winners, even when we lost a game. We remember him making us feel very important. He was sure we could accomplish anything we set our heart on and told us as much.

Later in life when faced with challenges, we felt certain much of our strength and resilience was rooted in the faith and confidence our uncle had in us.

Like Jesus to his apostles, our uncle’s faith had given us the power to know that all is possible, that we have it in us to triumph over adversity. We have come to know that victory will be ours once we remain true to ourselves, true to God.

We thank you, Lord for our uncle and people like him. Their faith and their generosity of heart have nurtured strength and courage in others.

We thank you, Lord for the great teachers in our country who have faith in their students and who have gone far beyond the call of duty. Lord, many children today have no one to awaken your power in them. When they cry out for their faith to be increased there is no one around. These teachers are the ones who make them aware that they too can get the mulberry tree to uproot and plant itself in the sea.

Lord, those teachers put the needs of their students before their own. They work selflessly for their students to realise their potential. They allow them “to eat and drink” before them and they say, “We are merely servants who have done no more than our duty.”

Lord, we ask for your forgiveness for the times when we refuse to have faith in those who need us to believe in them. We fail to ignite the flame of your love in them. We pray that we remain true to ourselves and “do all that we are supposed to do”.

Lord, help us during the times when we are lost, when we lose faith in you, in ourselves or in those around us. Help us to know that there is always a way, that you are always present deep within every being, hence we too can say to the mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea” and it will obey.

Lord, we pray for our country that we will have faith in ourselves as citizens to create a peaceful, loving nation. Help us to know that we must believe it is possible so that with the power you have given us we will make it a reality.

Gospel Meditations for October are by Rosemarie Olliverre, a parishioner of St Finbar’s, a wife and mother of two daughters. She is a former secondary school teacher.