When the centurion says to Jesus, "I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof," he is not saying he is sinful, but that he is small and Jesus is great. When we see ourselves as small, we become open to the greatness of God's gifts for us.
In this season of Advent, we are preparing ourselves to recognise Jesus when he comes. But God is ready to be reborn in us at every moment, so let us be ready and waiting for God in each moment.
Jesus tells us that when we throw a banquet we should invite the poor and the crippled who cannot repay us, because our joy will be greater when we all dine together in the Kingdom.
Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, suggesting that we look to the example of the saints to find real answers to the difficult question of how to love our neighbor in a confusing and broken world.
On this feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, we reconsider this form of prayer as a way break away from the constant business of our lives to simply be still with God.
As the world was falling apart around him, the prophet Baruch challenged the people not to lament, but to repent from the ways they were helping to cause the breakdown. We are each to repent of how we are contributing to the breakdown of society around us.
In the Gospel today, a Roman Centurion receives a miracle cure for his servant because he believes that Jesus can heal him. Do we believe that Jesus has already ransomed us from sin, or do we still believe that we are powerless against it?
Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time with a new take on forgiveness and why we need to do it seventy times seventy times (always).
Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees "whitewashed sepulchers" because they appeared to be holy, but were the opposite. Where might God make the same accusation about us?
On this feast of the beheading of John the Baptist, we remember that Herod was "interested" in John, but not enough to keep from beheading him to save face. Are we just "interested" in the things of God, or are we willing to change the way we are in the world to help bring them about?
