Saturday, June 30, 2012

Faith in Jesus' authority


Today’s Gospel, Mt. 8: 5-17, reiterates the story of the centurion’s request of Jesus: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”  Jesus immediately responds: “I will come and cure him.”  Imagine telling Jesus that someone you love dearly is sick and/or in serious trouble.  Jesus, without hesitation, says to you: “I will come and cure him/her. I will go and help.”  You and I do not need to imagine that. Our God is that way!  We may not see the results instantaneously but our faith tells us that God responded.  The point, I think, is the asking and that we bring our concerns to Jesus, knowing who Jesus is!

In the story just told, the centurion says to Jesus: No, you do not need to come to my house.  “I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed…” And then he says: “You know, Lord, I, too, am a person under authority and I also have authority. I say to a servant ‘Come’ and he comes. ‘Do this’ and he does it.”  It’s like he is saying to Jesus: “Lord, you are author of heaven and earth. You have dominion over everything: health and sickness, light and darkness, evil and good. Just command the evil to leave my servant and it will be gone.”  What faith!  What about yours and mine?

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