November 29, 2010, First Monday of Advent, Year A

Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)

In today’s Gospel we find the line we recite just prior to receiving Eucharist: “Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” For the first five decades of my life I focused on the first half; the declaration that I am unworthy. I neglected to notice the second half: that my unworthiness is easily transformed by a mere word from Jesus. Now each time I come to this point of the Mass I am filled with deep joy and gratitude … only say the word and I shall be healed … it’s so easy and it is a gift freely and lovingly given. No wonder I was glad when I heard them say, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

Namaste! Amen!

 

The Readings

Psalm 122:1-9

I was glad when they said to me,

   ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’

Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together.

To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,

as was decreed for Israel,

   to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

For there the thrones for judgment were set up,

   the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

   ‘May they prosper who love you.

Peace be within your walls,

   and security within your towers.’

For the sake of my relatives and friends

   I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

   I will seek your good.

Matthew 8:5-11

When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

The readings are from the website below, with tiny adjustments to make the text more inclusive.

http://bible.oremus.org/