Great Faith

The WORD today (see http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120318.cfm) reminds me that I should have great faith in God. 

In the gospel, we see a servant who was very sick. Other masters would just wait for the person to die. However, we see a centurion with great faith, not to mention genuine kindness towards others, even towards his servants who were basically treated as traded goods at that time. By God’s grace and power, what the devil intended for death and destruction, was turned into something great and glorious for God, through the centurion and Jesus. Amidst the worldly situation, the centurion had unwavering faith in Christ’s power over sickness and death, and we see his faith being rewarded. His faith is so great that we repeat his words everytime we celebrate the Holy Mass – “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed”

The condition for a miracle is difficulty. A condition for a great miracle is impossibility

As we see Jesus showing us how powerful and loving God is, we are encouraged to be like the centurion. The centurion who genuinely cared for others, even his servants, and showed great unwavering faith in God, especially during very difficult and seemingly impossible situations. God is powerful. No worldly situation can stop his power and prevent him from doing his will. This is something we should remember, especially as we face life’s seemingly impossible challenges. We should just have faith in God and his power, no matter what the situation may be. 

Is my faith based on the situations in life, or is my faith in God constant and unwavering? Do I let sickness overcome me, or do I have faith in the power of God over sickness? Who is the one person that comes into my mind as I read the gospel? Do I realize that God can use my faith to heal that person, no matter how impossible we may think the situation may be?

May we be ready inspired and always be reminded to have great faith in God. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another week. Lord, I thank you for your message today. Thank you for reminding me how loving and powerful you are. Sorry for the times I do not have faith in you. Sorry for the times my faith gets affected by the situations in life. I ask that you help me have faith like the centurion. May I have faith in your word, may I have faith in your power no matter what the situation may be. Remind me, Lord, that nothing is impossible for you, and that you can use my faith to heal others. May you always be glorified. Amen.

Blessed Week!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

December 3, 2018

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest
Lectionary: 175

Reading 1 IS 2:1-5

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.

O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!

Responsorial Psalm PS 122:1-2, 3-4B, 4CD-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Alleluia SEE PS 80:4

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come and save us, LORD our God;
let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 8:5-11

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
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.
For I too am a man 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."
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.
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."