YEAR B: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (1)

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: STRONG FAITH….”I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith”

BY: Fr. John A. SISTARE

HOMILY:

Today, we are faced with an interesting question. Why did the captain in the Gospel not personally approach Jesus but rather, sent messengers ahead with the request to heal his servant? The captain answers this question for us in the Gospel passage. «You see I didn’t approach you myself. Just give the order and my servant will be healed» (Lk 7:7).

The captain possessed the virtue of faith to believe that Jesus could work this miracle if it was in accord with his divine will. Faith allowed the captain to believe that no matter where Jesus was located He could heal the ill servant. The captain believed that no distance could prevent or stop the Christ from carrying out his work of salvation.

We are called to have that same faith in our own lives. There are times when we are tempted to think that Jesus is far away and not listening to our prayers. However, faith illumines our minds and hearts to believe that Jesus is always there to help us. In fact, the healing presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is a reminder that Jesus is always with us. St. Augustine, with eyes of faith, believed this reality: «What you see is the bread and the chalice; that is what your own eyes report to you. But what your faith obliges you to accept is that the bread is the Body of Christ and the chalice is the Blood of Christ».

Faith illumines our minds to see that it is the very presence of Jesus in our midst. We like the captain say, «I am not worthy to welcome you under my roof» (Lk 7:6). Yet, we humble ourselves before our Lord and Savior and He still draws near to heal us. May we allow Jesus to enter our soul, under our roof, to heal and strengthen our faith so we may press on towards Eternal Life.

Fr. John A. SISTARE (Cumberland, Rhode Island, United States)