Reflection for November 28
Today’s gospel (Mt 8:5-11) provides us with a rich reflection and a direction to begin our Advent journey. We find the centurion seeking help for another by humbly making a request of Jesus. Jesus’s heart is touched by the recognition of the centurion’s trust in his capacity to fulfill the request.
This reading has caused me to reflect on the meaning of humility in my life. Humility is about right relationships. Who am I in relationship to God? I recognize I am in relationship to God, the giver of all life who cares for me. I am dependent on God for my every breath.
Because of our relationship with God, who is the source of all, we can ask. In our prayer, we ask God to grace us that we might be aware of God’s presence in every breath, in every moment, in all that we perceive through this gifted person, body, mind, and spirit. God’s life flows in us and through us. We are an “incarnation” as we await again to see God’s own incarnation among us as a totally dependent infant.
We have an opportunity in Advent to strengthen our relationship with the creator of all life. A profound awareness of God’s presence can be cultivated through prayer, upon our request for this grace. Like the centurion, we can express trust in God and experience trust deepen as we pray this Advent. Do not be afraid to ask to become increasingly aware of the present manifestations, incarnations of the grace, and mercy of our great God. Ask for grace to see and experience God’s presence in yourself, in others, and in creation. If we ask, we can then receive and perceive.
Humbly we implore "Lord, I am not worthy …only say the word …”
Sr. Ruth Kelly, R.S.M.