GOD'S WORD IN DAILY LIFE
29 November/Monday First Week of Advent
Isa 2:1-5 (or Isa 4:2-6 in Year A)/Psa 122:1-9/Matt 8:5-11
By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD
First Reading Isaiah 2:1-5
The Lord gathers all nations together into the eternal peace of God's kingdom
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In the days to come
the mountain of the Temple of the Lord
shall tower above the mountains
and be lifted higher than the hills.
All the nations will stream to it,
peoples without number will come to it; and they will say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob
that he may teach us his ways
so that we may walk in his paths;
since the Law will go out from Zion,
and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’
He will wield authority over the nations
and adjudicate between many peoples;
these will hammer their swords into ploughshares,
their spears into sickles.
Nation will not lift sword against nation,
there will be no more training for war.
O House of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 121(122):1-2,4-5,6-9
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.
For the peace of Jerusalem pray:
‘Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls,
in your palaces, peace!’
For love of my brethren and friends
I say: ‘Peace upon you!’
For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good.
Gospel Acclamation cf. Psa 79:4
Alleluia, alleluia!
God of hosts, bring us back:
let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Alleluia!
Gospel Matthew 8:5-11
'I am not worthy to have you under my roof: give the word, and my servant will be healed'
When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’
Reflection
Most people are usually delighted to host a renowned or famous person in their homes. They see such visits as an honour and narrate it to others with pride. For example, if the Pope or the President of the nation was a host to a family, they may preserve the seat on which he sat or the glass from which he drank as a souvenir. Some people would hang pictures of the occasion at conspicuous places in the house or produce other forms of memorial of the occasion.
The Gospel Reading presents a contrary experience as we read about the reluctance of the centurion to allow Jesus into his house. The centurion is in need of Jesus to heal his servant but he thinks Jesus can do so without having to go to his house. He was convinced that the word of Jesus was enough to accomplish his request. Hearing the reasons of the objection of the centurion, Jesus commended him for his faith saying: “nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this”. Jesus focused on the faith of the centurion which derived from the humility of the latter.
The humility of the centurion made him feel unworthy to welcome Jesus under his roof. He knew he was not a Jew and so he was not entitled to the request he was making from a Jewish prophet or teacher of the Law. However, his faith in Jesus that he could heal the servant is an indication of his personal faith journey. The centurion could be likened to one of those people of whom Isaiah speaks in the First Reading. Indeed, many are those who are humble of heart and believe in God without fully professing it. In this Advent season, we are invited to reflect on our own faith and how we can lead others to the knowledge of the truth so that together we may worship the one true God, Father of Jesus Christ.