Sometime in October 2022, there was a rumor that I have died. Even my siblings and friends received condolence message for my ‘demise.’ Why? That was because the title of my column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Sunday was ‘Rest in Peace,’ with my picture and name below it! Oh well, I took it all with humor and faith, saying to myself: ‘Thank you Lord, for the advance prayers for the repose of my soul!’ In today’s Gospel (Lk. 17, 5-10), Jesus tells His disciples that faith, no matter how small like a mustard seed, is powerful, if it is deep, sincere, and real. Like the disciples, we pray today: ‘Lord, increase our faith!’ We must learn to believe, trust, and surrender everything and everyone to God in faith. What each of us needs to be reminded of again and again is that we have a Master whom we serve and obey. May we not fall into the trap of entitlement and compensation as we go about doing God’s work. ‘When you have done all, you have been commanded, say, we are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’ Lord, increase our faith! Help us to believe more, and doubt less; trust more, and worry less; thank more, and complain less; smile more, and frown less; venture more, and fear less. Amen!