Gospel for Monday 12/02 the First Week of Lent.

Matthew 8:5-11

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him,6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”7 He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”8 The centurion said in reply,* “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.9 For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.11 I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven,

 

REFLECTION

I am always amazed at how little the centurion needed to say to impress Jesus so much with his faith. This Gospel story provides me with some insight into how desperate Jesus is hunting for those who are not proud; for those who are not full of themselves. Everywhere He goes both then and now Jesus runs into people who have no need of a savior. People build up nice lives for themselves and think “There, now I have it. I’m all set. I don’t need anybody or anything.” This type of front poses quite an obstacle for Jesus love to break through.

Jesus never asks us to worship Him although He is fully deserving of it. He simply asks us to need Him in every way. To humble ourselves enough to know that we cannot do this, any of this, without Him.  Wasn’t that the original sin that separated us from His love?  We thought we could live without Him. We didn’t need His laws or His wisdom and went out to live by our own means.

Help me to find the words to communicate my own unworthiness and to place my complete trust in Him. This Advent let’s try to humble ourselves as He did by becoming man and being born in a manger.

  • In what parts of my everyday life do I try to live without His help? Let me see if I can find some situations where I can ask for Him to take over.
  • Where does my pride show in my dealings with others? Let me see if I can find some words to express sincere humility.
  • In my own words, how can I tell Jesus, like the centurion, that I am totally dependent on His love?

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