Faith Daily |12 September 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p581

O God,

without you we are not able to please you:

mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit

may in all things direct and rule our hearts;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Luke 7: 1-10

After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. 3When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, 5for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” 6And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” 9When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Anne MacRonald

In this reading we see Jesus as a prophet who is visiting people in Capernaum.

The centurion who appeared to be a kind person was not a Jew but was considered a friend of the Jews as he had paid for their synagogue. He knew that a Rabbi would be considered unclean if he went to the home of a gentile. Instead with respect he sent a delegation to Jesus believing that Jesus only has to “speak the word and let my servant be healed.”

The centurion was the backbone of the Roman army and saw slaves as a tool without rights to be used and discarded when no longer able to work. Yet here was a man of not only power but compassion, justice and faith.

Jesus’ words praising the faith of the pagan centurion cannot but impress us as in our complex world we struggle to find the best Christian way to understand people who are inspired by different religious traditions.

Many in this increasingly materialistic world mistake the privileges they enjoy for rights and cut themselves off from others with a different lifestyle.

In my nursing career I met many different people from all walks of life . As a team we respected different languages, cultures, life styles and religions. Each contributed to a team effort and there was rarely disharmony.

I ask for grace, for myself and the whole church to grow in a Christ like attitude to such people and groups.

Let me be respectful not only to Jesus, but to all I meet.

FINAL PRAYER Kate Compston (and adapted)

Listen to the stories, dreams and thoughts

of those who have no voice.

They’re wounded for the want

of being listened to:

they cry

and too few hear:

they slowly die

and too few mourn.

And yet

through these who give attention,

who stretch both hands

to touch, embrace, receive;

through these who labour, claim their dignity

and drink the cup of suffering,

breathe winds of change

and earth their dreams in struggle,

healing comes

and there are seeds of hope:

there is tomorrow

germinating in today.

Be still.

Be just –

sharing in their truth,

and in the truth we belong to in Him.

In finding them,

through the Christ,

you find yourself.

Amen.