The WORD today reminds me that God wants us to have great faith in Him.
People sometimes react differently when faced with various circumstances. It is easier to have faith when the situation seems to support it, when things seem possible. However, not so much when the situation goes against us. In a similar way, it is easy to show love and concern to family and people who love us and treat us good. However, not so towards people who speak ill of us or those that does not add value to our lives. We see an exception of this in the gospel.
In the gospel, we see a slave who was very sick. Other people 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 slaves 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 slaves, 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.
God is more powerful than any situation. God is more powerful than any sickness, worldly power, or death. And God is on our side. We just have to call on him and trust Him.
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? Do I genuinely care about others, regardless of who they are? 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? What is he reminding me today, especially in the midst of the pandemic?
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. May I also genuinely care about others, because you do. Remind me, Lord, that nothing is impossible for you, and that you can use my faith to heal others. Use me to reach out to others and make your love more alive and more real. May you always be glorified. Amen.
Blessed Week!
In Christ,
-g-
Daily Readings
Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 443
Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact
that your meetings are doing more harm than good.
First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church
there are divisions among you,
and to a degree I believe it;
there have to be factions among you
in order that also those who are approved among you
may become known.
When you meet in one place, then,
it is not to eat the Lord's supper,
for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,
and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?
Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?
What can I say to you? Shall I praise you?
In this matter I do not praise you.
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my Body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact
that your meetings are doing more harm than good.
First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church
there are divisions among you,
and to a degree I believe it;
there have to be factions among you
in order that also those who are approved among you
may become known.
When you meet in one place, then,
it is not to eat the Lord's supper,
for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,
and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?
Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?
What can I say to you? Shall I praise you?
In this matter I do not praise you.
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my Body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1 Cor 11:26b) Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
When Jesus had finished all his words to the people,
he entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,
and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him,
asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying,
"He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."
And Jesus went with them,
but when he was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell him,
"Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
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."
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
"I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health.
he entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,
and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him,
asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying,
"He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."
And Jesus went with them,
but when he was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell him,
"Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
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."
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
"I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health.
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