MY daily reflection and prayer:
Monday, September 12, 2016
Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to St. Luke 7:1-10
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.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
JESUS Christ praises the centurion in the Gospel today who has a deep strong faith. He is simple, humble and confident in Jesus, saying, “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.”
Truly, he exemplifies the dynamic of God’s grace in our lives. We should strive to be like him: simple, humble, and confident in the powerful action of Jesus in our daily lives.
In the Eucharist we also pray at every Mass just before receiving our Lord in Holy Communion, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed.” This prayer manifests the centurion’s humility. It should also manifest our humility and faith in Jesus Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist, we adore Jesus Christ whom we receive as the Blessed Sacrament. We truly receive and adore Jesus Christ, his body and blood. Our faith is the key to opening up our hearts to Jesus Christ’s healing grace. Would Jesus Christ find such faith in us?
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, we want to repeat the words of the centurion as our prayer. We do believe in you and in your real presence in the Eucharist. Lord, we are not worthy to receive you but only say the word and we shall be healed now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
