Saturday, July 1, 2023

THE MARVELOUS FAITH

 THE MARVELOUS FAITH
Meditation for Saturday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
(Gen18:1-15; Mt 8:5-17)
It was a beautiful moment when Jesus accepted the request of the Centurion about his dying servant, saying, “I will come and heal him.” But in his humility and faith this Roman official said to Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus marveled at the faith of this man, and praised him. Many of the people who came to Jesus wanted to see signs or some demonstrations before they could believe. But this Centurion believed in the Person of Jesus as one whose has authority over time and space, such that whatever He declares must surely happen accordingly. And this authority is attributed only to God. The awesome faith of the Centurion sees the sickness of the servant from the lens of the divine authority of Jesus. From this view, the sickness ceases to be a huge problem since only one word from Jesus can wipe it away!

However, in the first reading, Abraham’s encounter with the three turns the other side of the coin of faith. The Lord said to him, “I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Over hearing this, Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” Then, the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh…Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Sarah’s sarcastic laugh was due to the fact that she viewed the problem from the lens of her human weakness, which is so limited and incapable of solving the problem.

 

Immediately, we can see the two sides of the coin of faith and the difference each makes. When confronted with life challenges and we present them to the Lord in prayer, our faith will look out for the answer either from the power of God, of which it was said that nothing is too hard for the Lord, or from our personal merits and capabilities, which are so limited and weak. As we follow the example of the Centurion, Jesus says, “God; let it be done for you as you have believed.” Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

 Saturday July 1, 2023.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

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