The
centurion, the one who expresses these words in our Gospel, is one who is used
to having power and commanding others.
We encounter this in his own words to Jesus, “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.” And yet, he
recognizes that his own power is nothing compared to that of Jesus. How often do we find ourselves wanting to
control a situation or tell God how to do something? It sometimes takes us a while before we step
back and realize that we are not in control.
Once we remember that we are not in control can often be quite
liberating. Placing our trust and faith
in God over and over again is a part of any spiritual journey. It is the
letting go and letting God.
What is
powerful about our Gospel today is the absolute faith with which the centurion
approaches Jesus on behalf of his servant.
He does not doubt that Jesus’ words alone can heal his servant, even
without a physical encounter with Jesus.
Each time we receive the Eucharist, we, unworthy as we are, are deemed
worthy for a physical encounter with Christ.
What an awesome and wonderful thought!
And yet often the reality of Christ within us, under our roofs, in our hearts
is very challenging to grasp and a reality that we don’t always approach with
the faith and trust of the centurion.
Like the
centurion, we have the opportunity to be transformed with each encounter with
Christ, whether it is through prayer or meditation, through interactions with
others in our daily lives, or through receiving Christ in the Eucharist.
As we
journey through this day let us pray that we can approach Jesus with the same
humility and faith that the centurion does. Let us invite Jesus into our hearts
and our homes, under our roofs, and allow Him to transform us as we journey in
faith.
Have a
great Saturday everyone!
Daily
Prayer:
Lord, grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by you, always follow
your plains, and perfectly accomplish your holy will. Grant that in all things,
great and small, today and all the days of my life, I may do whatever you
require of me. Help me to respond to the slightest prompting of your grace, so
that I may be your trustworthy instrument for your honor. May your will be done
in time and eternity by me, in me, and through me. Amen. (Prayer by St. Teresa of Avila)
A Runner’s Thoughts: “The human spirit is indomitable. No one can ever say you must not run faster than this or jump higher than that. There will never be a time when the human spirit will not be able to better existing records.” (Roger Bannister)
Daily
Blessing:
Saturday greetings and blessings to all. I hope your Saturday has started off
well and that it will only get better as you make your way through it. We are
to have a sunny and hot day here in Covington, KY. Hopefully the weather where
you are is helping to make your day a good one.
This is
the last full day of retreat here at St. Joseph Heights the Provincial Center
for the Sisters of Notre Dame of Covington. I think it has been a good retreat.
Many of the sisters on retreat have share their stories, enthusiasm and their
faith with me this week. Please continue to keep the sisters in your prayers
and if you could offer an extra prayer for their preacher it would be greatly
appreciated.
Well my friends,
I pray that God will bless your day. May you be gifted and blessed with smiles,
laughter, family, friends, fun and peace today! Be safe out there if you are
traveling! Have a great day and may you be
blessed with God’s joy in whatever you do and wherever you go. May God’s joy be
found in the people you meet today and within you! Peace in Christ’s
Passion…Fr. Paul
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