Benjamin Franklin once said, “The only guarantees in life are death and taxes.” However, as we just heard proclaimed in the Gospel, there is an even more perfect guarantee in life and that is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s authority of sin and death and His love and mercy for us.
Many years ago, before my conversion to Catholicism and homecoming to Rome, I found myself in a similar situation like the centurion in today’s Gospel. Someone dear to me was very ill and I was at a loss as to what to do or say to bring comfort to myself and my family but, more importantly, healing for our loved one. Yet, even though I was not a Christian at that time, like the centurion, I felt in my heart that I could trust the person Jesus Christ. And so, in my own expression of faith, I asked Jesus to heal my dear one and promised that if he did, I would give my life over to him. Jesus brought healing to my family member, which unburdened the hearts of my other family members, who were concerned for our beloved one, and the rest, as they say, is history because I stand before you today as a Catholic deacon.
My sisters and brothers in Christ, Advent is a penitential season, a time for us to take stock (if you will) of our spiritual and prayer life, to reconcile ourselves with God and with our loved ones through the power of mercy and forgiveness and, more importantly, to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. It takes courage for us to approach Jesus, to seek out his love, mercy, and forgiveness.. However, when we do go to him with humble and contrite hearts, we will find that he is ready and willing to come to us, bring us healing, make us whole again, and restore or renew our relationship with him and even with those we love.
It truly takes humility on our part to approach our Lord and appeal to him for help, the same humility that moves us to respond to the priest, who says “Behold the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb” with the humble words of the centurion: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” However, we have a perfect model of humility in our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who not only humbled himself to share in our humanity, as a child born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but He also comes to us in the Eucharist - Bread and Wine - so that we may share in his divinity.
And so, my sisters and brothers in Christ, may we be like the Blessed Virgin Mary and keep these things, reflecting on them in our hearts (Luke 2:19) this Advent season as we prepare ourselves for Christmas because “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
