During this first week of Advent the readings of the Liturgy give us signs of the presence of the Kingdom of God. Today we see Jesus healing the servant of a Roman soldier. The sick man was paralized and suffered greatly. The faith of this pagan and foreign soldier was such that Jesus was overtaken and healed the servant. Jesus reaches out beyond the critical boundaries established by religion and by the state, even willing to go to the soldier’s house. Further, disease can burden and limit the relationship among persons.
Jesus’ healing of the servant breaks down several critical boundaries. Relationships are transformed. Here is the reigning of God at work! The Kingdom of God is coming about in history!
How does our faith stand in comparison to that of the Roman soldier? What signs do we perform as Church, as communities, that show the world that God continues to establish his reign through us?
Félix E. Catalá, C.Ss.R.
Center for Redemptorist Spirituality
December 4, 2006 at 2:24 am |
“How does our faith stand in comparison to that of the Roman soldier? …”
That’s a good question. Thank you for the gentle reminder to make my soul research. Are we indeed the Christians or just … the Bible readers?
Do I share my faith or just the knowledge?
However, I can’t answer anything more concretely than what was said above. In case I would start counting (or even will try to count aloud) what was done by me, it would look like a boasting… and thus even the truth would become the ugly pharisaic-ness.
It would be good to hear about our faith from the lips of other. That would bring glory to God.
And it is sorrowful in case the believers remain indiscernible in a crowd.
The depth of our steps is defined by our love.
We either love or just talk about the crucial impact of love on everything we do and have.
Jesus knocks at every heart individually and each of us is to make his personal choice.