I AM NOT WORTHY - By: Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

A foreigner, a Gentile, approaches Jesus. He asks Jesus to cure a servant who happens to be paralyzed. Jesus is amazed at the centurion’s faith. He simply asks Jesus to issue the command and the centurion believes that it will occur.

As a man of authority himself, he understands the power there is in issuing commands. He knows that people would obey him. People are under his authority. He commands and they act! Jesus is amazed at this act of faith. The faith of the centurion opens the door for Jesus to enter the world of the Gentiles. Jesus has come to save and heal.

The response of the centurion is the same response we proclaim to the Lord at the time of Holy Communion in Mass. When the priest raises the Sacred Host in his hand and points to the Lamb of God, we say, “Lord I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” These are the very same words of humility spoken by the centurion. We participate in the Lord’s Supper, the communion of love and life, healing and salvation of the Lord. May our faith please Him as we seek Him who is our Savior.

Advent is that time we remember that salvation has dawned upon us. During this time, we remember the humility of God in becoming a small child. He is born in utter poverty out of love for humanity. In this light, we want to respond in humility. Jesus comes under our roof, into our homes, into our hearts, into our lives, into our society. Are we ready to receive Him, the Healer and Savior of the world? The Greek word salous is close to our English word saved. It is derived from the word “health.” So Jesus is Savior, the Health of the world, the Healer of the world.

PERSEVERE IN PRAYER - By: Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

One of the many titles of Luke’s Gospel is the “Gospel of prayer.” Within this Gospel, we see many accounts of prayer. The reading today (Luke 18:1-8) is one of many.

Today, we meditate on the prayer of petition. Luke makes his comment at the beginning of the parable: pray constantly and do not lose heart.

Luke describes two characters. One is the judge who has no regard for people. He is incapable of shame. On the other hand, there is the widow, an example of the poor and marginalized in the society. Luke does not tell us of the widow’s circumstances. We do know that she is persistent; she would come repeatedly. The judge, as we understand, has no care for God or man. However, because of the persistence of the widow, he gives in to her petitions. He wants to be spared from any violence; he does not want a black eye. The moral of the story is that if this corrupt judge can give in, how much more God, the righteous judge, will give in to the cry of those who call upon him?

The story is very simple, touched with Luke’s humor. We are to “storm heaven” with our prayers. Jesus tells us to call out day and night. No matter how often we pray, we are not to lose hope and heart over what may seem so impossible. St. Paul tells us that good things come to those who wait upon the Lord. The widow could have easily become discouraged. Moreover, she could have given up a long time ago. Seemingly, the judge would not budge. He would not give in. It was only to spare himself from being bothered that he gave in. One may wonder why it took the judge so long to favor the widow. It tells us just how corrupt and non-fearing he was to God and man. Taking care of the widow was one of the highest statutes of the law. This poor widow had every right to be heard and fairly dealt with. The widow gives us a fine example of persistence in prayer.

Reflection Question:
Are you persistent in prayer?

Lord, I always call upon You in my need. Help me not lose heart. Amen.

St. Machar, pray for us.

Matthew 25:31-46 (or Matthew 11:25-30, or John 11:17-27) - The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

31 Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, 32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ 44 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ 45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ 46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Reflections:

Death is a time when we experience our inability to control our fate and thus it is the time when we most need to place our hope and trust in the Lord.

IN THE HANDS OF GOD - By: Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

Today, we remember all the departed souls — our friends, relatives, colleagues, acquaintances. The list is endless. We also pray for the souls in purgatory. Today is a good day to reflect on our own life and its destiny. Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Society of Jesus) offers us a worthwhile meditation. He suggests that we reflect being on our deathbed and how we would wish it to be. We begin by observing all the events of our life as one movie — the good and bad moments of our life projected in front of us. Would we be happy to watch our life’s movie? It is a very sober thought to meditate on death. It will come to us — we just don’t know the circumstance, the day or the hour. Therefore, we must be ready and vigilant at all times.

The Book of Wisdom offers some very helpful insights. The just are in the hands of God. If we have lived a good life, loving God and neighbor, we can be confident that we are on the way. Of course, we cannot judge. Only Jesus, the merciful judge, will have the final say as we leave our earthly pilgrimage. The author mentions that those who suffered in this life, even chastised a little, shall be greatly blessed. A reward awaits them, the reward of life eternal. Our lives are as gold tested in fire. We shall be purified before we meet our Father Creator. The promise for the just one is that of perfect bliss. The faithful shall abide with Him in love. Grace and mercy await those who are holy and have made their life a pleasing sacrifice unto the Lord.

Reflection Question:
What would I do if I knew this was my last day on earth?

Lord, grant me wisdom and the knowledge of the shortness of my life. Amen.

St. Maura, pray for us.