Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 8:5-11

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."

REFLECTION:

My heart and mind perceive the LOVE OF JESUS as pure, humble, deep, and powerful.

Pure because Jesus only wants the best for us. There are no hidden agendas. His only and clear expectation is that we love him back.

Humble because Jesus became a man to redeem us. He subjected himself to the harsh reality of our exile: hunger, labor, suffering, sadness, injustice, pain, sense of abandonment, and ultimately death. All this so that we could share eternity with him. Furthermore, he decided to remain with us in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar until his second coming.

Deep because his love comes from his essence, from his being. His love does not depend on any action on our side. There is nothing that we could possibly do that would make him stop loving us.

Powerful because it breaks all barriers between him and us, resolves all differences between his holiness and our misery. His love causes our misery to disintegrate, dissolve and disappear.

Saying to my beloved Jesus, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof” is a huge understatement, but fortunately, HIS LOVE for me more than overcomes my unworthiness.

I rejoice in knowing that like all mankind, I am the object of his love. Like a child that calls the name of a parent for all her needs, I call the name of Jesus, my creator, my king, my God, my savior, my merciful judge and the true love of my heart. Through Jesus I will come to the Father ( John 14:6), completely justified and worthy.