Monday of the First Week of Advent
Let’s take a look at the centurion in today’s Gospel. He approaches Jesus and asks him with straightforwardness, confidence and candor to do him a favor. So, it’s the prayer and manner of a pagan that are the model for us Christians during Advent.
Let’s analyze his procedure. First, he gives Jesus the reason for his coming. His servant is sick. He is not worthy to have Jesus come down to his house and cure him, but he has complete confidence that Jesus has the power do so. Prayer requires such humility, simplicity, confidence.
Jesus admired his faith adding that the religious Jews him showed no such confidence in him. So, the centurion is the model of believers who search for complete truth, of people outside the Church. Let us pray for their conversion and that our prayer, members of Jesus’ body, the Church, will have the same quality of non-Catholic believers of Jesus’ power and willingness to answer true prayer.
Resolve: I shall pray today for people who have left the Church and for young Catholics in our society who are exposed to so many anti-Christian beliefs in their classrooms and social environment.