Homily For Saturday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 1st July , 2023. Happy New Month

Reading: Gen. 18:1-5; Ps. Lk.1:46-55 ; Matt. 8:5-17

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

CULTIVATING AN ACT OF FAITH AND GENUINE HUMILITY IN PRAYER LIKE THE ROMAN CENTURION

 

In our Catechism classes, we were taught that faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused in us by God. Little wonder our level of faith are not the same. However, our gift of faith grows depending on our disposition and utilization of the gift. That is why, when Jesus invites people to faith and conversion, he does not coerced them, rather they come to faith through their good disposition and utilization of their experience with him.

 

This is exactly the case with the Roman centurion in our Gospel passage today, who sorts help for his sick servant, he approached Jesus for healing, but when Jesus accepted to come to his home, the centurion hesitates, feeling unworthy of Jesus’ presence in his home, said to him “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed”. 

 

Here the centurion believes that Jesus can speak a word of healing, and that will be enough to cure his servant. He has total faith and trust in the power of Jesus’ word. For him, the servant did not even have to hear Jesus speak the word: it was enough that the word was spoken. Jesus praised his faith and genuine humility. Today, these words of the centurion has become a pattern of prayer for us, that before Holy Communion we say it passionately because, his faith and compassion are inspiring example for us to follow.

 

This is exactly the kind of faith that all of us must have as well. The faith that leads us to seek God wholeheartedly, to be humble before Him and to love Him above all and not to allow our pride, ego and desires lead us into faithlessness, disobedience and sin against God.

 

We are also called to trust God at all times for He is always ready and able to help us just as He did to Abraham and Sarah in our first reading today. For when he visited them childless in their old age and his said: “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the same time next year I shall visit you again and Sarah will have a son”.

 

Dear friends, what is our disposition towards the gift of faith that God has given to us? Do we have total faith and trust in God just like the Centurion and Abraham and his wife Sarah? The fact remains that our experiences of evil, injustice, suffering and death can shake or shape the gift of faith in us depending on our disposition towards the situation.

 

Remember, the Centurion interceded for his sick servant, do we intercede for others who are in need of God’s healing and mercy? Do we know that we can speak God’s word in prayer and someone, somewhere, will find healing? Do we often like this Centurion, recognize in all humility our unworthiness before God?  We are called today to cultivate an act of faith and genuine humility in prayers just like the Roman Centurion.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are weak and oftentimes we display an act of faithlessness due to the pressure and challenges of life. Through the intercessions of our Mother Mary, may the Lord increase our faith and make us humble and patience in doing His will. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful Month.