Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Iurii Tychenok on the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 1, 2026
Faith is not merely words, emotions, or prayers offered in moments of danger. Faith is our way of life. It is revealed in our decisions, our words, our relationships, our work, our families, in the way we treat others, and in the way we behave when no one is watching. It is very easy to say, “Lord, I believe in You” when we need help. It is far more difficult to say, “Lord, I trust You” when trials enter our lives.
Today’s Gospel invites us to reflect on our faith. The Lord compares it to a tiny mustard seed. The seed is small, almost insignificant, yet when it falls into good soil, it grows into a large plant. Today, however, I would like to invite you not simply to compare your faith to a mustard seed. Rather, I would like us to look at the faith of other people—those who showed through their lives what it truly means to trust in God. One of the greatest examples of faith in the Old Testament is Abraham. In many ways, his story echoes the Gospel we have heard today.
In the Gospel, we see a father bringing his son to Jesus so that the Lord may heal him. In the story of Abraham, we see a father leading his son up a mountain in order to fulfil God’s will. In one case, a father asks God to save his son; in the other, a father is prepared to offer to God the most precious thing he possesses. This raises an important question: how great must a person’s faith be to entrust even what is most precious in life to God?
Let us look at how this story began. At the dawn of humanity, people knew God. Adam and Eve lived in His presence and spoke with Him in Paradise. They spoke about God to their children and grandchildren. But years passed, then generations, then centuries. Gradually, the human heart drifted away from God. People began to forget their Creator, to ignore His will, and to live as though He did not exist. It was in the midst of this spiritual decline that the Lord called Abraham. God entered into a covenant with him and gave him a promise: his descendants would become as numerous as the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky. But first, God tested his faith. The Lord said to Abraham: “Go forth from your country, your kindred, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” Abraham did not know where he was going. He had no map, no guarantees, and no certainty about what the future would hold. He had only one thing—the word of God. And Abraham went. This is faith. Faith begins when a person stops demanding guarantees from God and begins to trust Him.
Yet Abraham’s trials did not end there. The promise God had made seemed nowhere in sight. It was fulfilled only when, humanly speaking, all hope appeared lost. In his old age, Abraham received Isaac—the son of the promise, the son he loved, through whom his descendants were to continue. And it was precisely then that the Lord gave Abraham the greatest test of all. God asked him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.
We read this story and can scarcely comprehend it. How could such a thing be possible? What father could hear such words? How could he rise early in the morning, take his son, gather the wood for the sacrifice, and set out on the journey? We can only imagine what was taking place in Abraham’s heart. Before him stood his only beloved son—the child upon whom he had placed all his hopes, the child for whom he had waited his entire life. And now the Lord was asking him for what was dearest to him. I think many of us would say, “No, Lord. I cannot do this.” But Abraham went. Not because God desired a human sacrifice. God does not desire human blood; He did not want Isaac’s death. The Lord was not testing Abraham’s ability to offer a sacrifice. He was testing his trust. Would Abraham love God more than God’s gifts? Would he entrust to God even what was most precious to him? Would he remain faithful when he understood nothing? And Abraham trusted. That is why, on the mountain, God stopped his hand and provided another sacrifice in place of his son.
At this point, we must stop asking questions about Abraham and begin asking questions about ourselves. We say that we have faith. But where is our faith revealed? Is it revealed only when we come to church, kneel down, and pray: “Lord, help me”? Certainly, that is faith. We should pray, ask, and call upon the Lord in times of need. The father in today’s Gospel did exactly that. But is that the only way faith is shown? No. True faith is revealed when God asks something of us. When the Lord asks us to forgive, do we forgive? When He asks us to love, do we love? When He asks us to be honest, do we remain honest? When He asks us not to repay evil with evil—do we restrain our hearts from seeking revenge? When He calls us to prayer, do we make time for prayer? When Sunday comes and we are tired after a long week—do we say, “Lord, I will still come to You”? Or do we say, “I can’t today? I’m tired. I have too much work. Maybe next time.” And yet, when we need something, we kneel down and say, “Lord, help me! I believe that You will not abandon me!” But when the Lord asks something of us, we reply, “Lord, not today.” This is where our faith is truly tested.
Faith is not merely words, emotions, or prayers offered in moments of danger. Faith is our way of life. It is revealed in our decisions, our words, our relationships, our work, our families, in the way we treat others, and in the way we behave when no one is watching. It is very easy to say, “Lord, I believe in You” when we need help. It is far more difficult to say, “Lord, I trust You” when trials enter our lives. War, illness, exhaustion, loneliness, old age, weakness, problems at work, tensions within the family, financial difficulties, disappointments… And then it is as though the Lord asks us, “My child, do you trust Me not only when I give you what you ask for but also when I lead you along a path that you do not understand?” This is where true faith begins.
Abraham did not know how his journey would end, but he knew who was leading him, and that was enough. This is what the Lord desires from each one of us—not blind faith, not thoughtless submission, but a deep trust in God, who knows us better than we know ourselves. God desires to enter into a covenant with each one of us. That covenant is revealed not only in the great events of our lives but also in the ordinary moments of every day: when we forgive, when we pray, when we come to church, when we help those in need, when we hold back our anger, when we refrain from speaking hurtful words, when we remain faithful to God even when no one notices or appreciates it. It is then that the tiny seed of faith begins to grow. And perhaps one day we will discover that the seed the Lord planted in our hearts has become a great tree—a tree beneath whose branches others may also find shelter.
Amen.
