Advent day 2

Matthew 8:5-11           Advent day 2

           Today's Advent reading re-visits A Dear Slave ( blog entry 9-17-12 ). How does this reading reflect on Advent?

            I recall a time in my life when I was not nearly as organized as I am now. Read: I was a lazy slob.  My house almost always looked like a mess. I didn't do very much to help matters. It was a wonderful thing for me to meet holy people, go out and socialize but I rarely would want anyone in my home.

            I don't think the Centurion was reluctant to have Jesus come to his home to cure his 'slave' because he too had a messy house. If anything it was a recognition of how powerful Jesus truly is. And yes, perhaps the Centurion didn't want Jesus to see that the 'slave' was no mere slave, who knows? I do know Jesus was abe to see into the Centurions heart and mind, see all of the truth, whatever it was and it made no difference to him. Jesus saw the goodness and faith of the Centurion and cured the 'slave'.

             So here we are on the second day of Advent. Imperfect yet hopeful humans just starting out on our Advent journey. Perhaps we too are reluctant to invite Jesus into our lives on an intimate basis, into our home. Perhaps there are issues of inadequacy, guilt of some kind, internal recognition of some problems or issues we have? Jesus knows all this and yet understands how we feel. Perhaps instead of inviting Him into a truly intimate relationship with ourselves right off the bat (sort of like inviting him into my messy home of yore), we can simply start a conversation, become friends, try to find out more about each other. Like I said, God knows it all but we are often more comfy at a distance to start. Just open the conversation. Open the door a crack so some light comes in.

           On this second day of Advent, start to prepare for the light in your life.

When Jesus entered Capernaum,

a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,

"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."

He said to him, "I will come and cure him."

The centurion said in reply,

"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;

only say the word and my servant will be healed.

For I too am a man subject to authority,

with soldiers subject to me.

And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;

and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;

and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,

"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.

I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,

and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."