Such Faith

June 30, 2007

Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? Genesis 8

“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. Matthew 8:6-7

Piety

Jesus, we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. We can see that nothing is too marvelous or too difficult for you to accomplish. From the side of your crib to the foot of your cross, you sacrificed your divinity to save us. Help us to appraoch you with the faith and humility of the Roman centurion. Armed with this faith, grant us the prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice to carry your Word and Works to the world as we work to conquer hunger and loneliness, hatred and intolerance, greed and envy. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/063007.shtml

Ever notice how much we admire humility in others? The Roman centurion approaches Jesus with Christ-like humility and faith.

When I was a teenager, there was the premiere of the famous rock-opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice called “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The Roman treated Jesus as such a star. Many who followed Jesus did likewise. However, Jesus’ popularity threatened the “powers that be.” So the leades tried to extinguish the light from star that rose in the East.

Ever notice how the “modern media” likes to focus on the exact opposite and call that celebrity? The bold and the brash. The flashy and the fast. They THINK we care about these people. Terrell Owens riding a Lifecycle instead of practicing with his Dallas Cowboys teammates. Keyshawn Johnson, writing a book about his short football life instead of working hard at becoming a winning teammate. Now, we hear more about such “stars” as Tank Johnson (waived by the Chicago Bears) or Pacman Jones (in trouble with the Tennessee Titans.).

And let’s not forget Paris or Anna Nicole or Lindsay. But who cares about these hyper-inflated egos and their bouts with the law or drug or alcohol addition rehab? While I have compassion that they conquer their internal demons. I have little curiosity about what happens to such celebrities. Instead, I prefer to focus on people who work hard to make the world a better place.

Instead, let us admire the hard-working and more anonymous contributions people make to the betterment of our world – be it around their own household, their neighborhood, their city or the entire globe. Just consider the work of these peacemakers. The work they accomplish, marked by creativity, is among the marvels of the Lord’s service.

Paul Farmer

Jeffrey Sachs

Elizabeth McAlister

Art Laffin

Edith Widder

Victoria Hale

Colman McCarthy

John Rich

Kathy Boylan

Muhammed Yunus

Wangari Muta Maathai

Collen McCarthy

Action

Who do you hold in esteem? Who are your “Superstars?”