GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew 8:5-11

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“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.
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 and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”

The Word of the Lord.

Simply.

The centurion, accustomed to the authority he exercised over his men, knew simply through his Faith that it was enough for Jesus to say the word for his servant to be healed; he saw it as something natural. We often overwhelm ourselves trying to grasp the mysteries of God and become frustrated when we collide with our limited understanding. Let us draw near with simplicity to ask Jesus, to be with Him, to delight in His presence in the Eucharist.

We have the example of Mary, who received with simplicity the great mystery that was revealed to her. She trusted in God’s Love in the face of what she could not fully comprehend, and she filled her heart with joy and gratitude — a reality perfectly expressed in the Magnificat.

Applied to Married Life

Peter: Laura, I’ve been feeling very unsettled these past few days. There are questions I struggle to answer; it seems that no matter how hard I try, I cannot grasp the doctrine. It makes me feel as though my faith is not genuine, as if I’m a bit of a fraud.

Laura: Sometimes we want to understand what many Fathers and Doctors of the Church have received from the Holy Spirit, after much prayer and by the Grace of God. When weighed down, we can miss the joy of God’s closeness to us, present in the Eucharist. Think of the peace we feel when we pray together in silence, when we share in conjugal prayer, or in Eucharistic adoration.

Peter: You’re right. I shall continue reading and praying, hoping to receive the grace of understanding.

Mother,

Help us to draw near to Jesus with your simplicity, with Faith that He will grant us what we need. Amen. Praise be to God!