Luke 17:1-6
And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!
It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.
Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, `I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
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.

Homily:

“Increase our faith!”

Jesus’s reply shows that it is not an increase that is required, but faith itself.

You either have faith or you don’t.

You either forgive or you don’t.

You either repent or you don’t.

The increase or decrease is only in the build up to the choice. Temptations increase or decrease, but sin is a choice. No one sort of sins – sins small or sins big. You either sin or you don’t.

Understanding this is critical to decision making.