AMAZE JESUS WITH YOUR FAITH
In today’s Gospel, a Roman military officer comes to Jesus for help. The officer’s servant is ill and he asks Jesus to heal the man. When Jesus agrees to come to the man’s house, the man says, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” We say this every single time we experience the mass, before receiving the Eucharist. But do we truly believe this? Do we believe that Jesus will heal us? If your answer is not a fervent “yes”, I implore you to spend this Advent growing your faith and trusting in Jesus to heal all things in our lives.
In today’s Gospel, the Roman officer is a gentile with power. At the time, this would have caused heads to turn. This Roman had such a deep faith and trust in Jesus that he knew Jesus could heal his servant. He didn’t turn to pagan rituals, other “gods” or healers. He turned to Jesus. The Roman centurion did not even believe Jesus needed to lay hands on the servant; all Jesus needed to do was say that the man was healed and it would be so. “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” What comes next surprises me even more: “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed.” Amazed. Jesus is not easily amazed. He IS fully God and human and he knows everything that was and is to come. But somehow, he is amazed by the faith of this gentile. When was the last time we had such faith and trust in the Lord? When was the last time we gave control back to Jesus?
This Advent, as we prepare for the coming of Christ, let’s amaze Jesus with our trust and faith in Him.
Adrienne Klein