Sunday, September 15, 2013

Such Faith




For there is one God.  There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all.  1 Timothy 2:5-6a

“…I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed.  For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me.  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.”  When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”  Luke 7:7-9

Piety
Lord, I am not worthy for you to enter under my roof.  But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Study
How is your relationship with Jesus of Nazareth?  Your PERSONAL relationship with Jesus of Nazareth?  Sure…we have Mary and the saints who will intercede for us when asked.  But Jesus is open to encountering us personally and directly.  In essence, that is what Cursillo is all about – building lives that are made up of moments when we are closest to Christ.   
Jesus is the one mediator between us and God.  So the condition of our relationship with Jesus is paramount in living lives of piety, study and action.  Our books and study aids are there to assist us in getting to know God.  Our action is there to help to experience God.  Our piety is there to help us get closer to God.  But the end of all these means is to get to know God. 
You cannot have a personal relationship with Jesus unless you take on the mantle that Jesus shares.  Even though the centurion was not a Jew (and Christians did not yet “exist”), he understood what Jesus asked of us.  In his remarkable humility, despite being a stranger in a strange land, the centurion exemplified the attitude and demeanor that Jesus asks of all of us. 

Action
How do you echo the centurion?  When you attend Mass, right before sharing in the Eucharistic banquet, whose words do we repeat?  Not Peter.  Not Paul.  Not Andrew.  Not John.  Not James.  We repeat the humble words of the centurion.  However, our faith is not a faith of empty words.  We cannot utter the words unless we also share their spirit.  How will you be a centurion today? Can we show such faith in how we live out our lives?

No comments: