November 28, Monday of the 1st Week of Advent
Daily Readings: Isaiah 4:2-6; Matthew :8:5-11
At the start of the Advent season, today's gospel introduces Centurion as an Advent model.
At every Holy Mass, we have a few moments of advent—moments of preparation for the Lord’s coming in the Blessed Sacrament. In order to get ready to receive the body and blood of Our Lord, we say, like the centurion, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come into my home." "Just say the word, and my soul will be healed." These words show that the centurion had two good qualities, which were humility and faith.
The words "You say a word" echo the virtue of faith that moves us to approach Jesus with confidence, trusting in God’s goodness and power. And the words "Lord, I am not worthy" ring true with the virtue of humility, which moves us to admit that we do not deserve what we seek.
Both of these virtues are so closely associated, which means faith without humility may put us at risk of becoming presumptuous and arrogant, whereas humility without faith can lead to fear and discouragement.
When put together, these two attitudes help us get ready for the Eucharistic Advent, when the Lord comes to us in the Blessed Sacrament and in many other ways.
The Centurion is a marvelous model. It is amazing that a pagan soldier was so well prepared for the Lord’s coming!
A heart that is ready for the Lord's return shows that it has faith and is humble. Amen.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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