Daily Office Readings for Monday of the 7th Sunday of Easter: Year 2
Morning; Psalm 89:1-18: Evening, Psalm 89:19-52;
Joshua 1:1 to 9; Ephesians 3:1 to 13; Matthew 8:5 to 17:
“When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.” (Matthew 8: 5 – 8)
A believing Roman commander (centurion) approaches our Lord Jesus for help. In as much as he is asking Jesus for healing for his servant (whom he must truly love), but was not present, this is intercessory prayer.
I know parents who took their sick child to Europe for healing, healing that was not offered in the U. S. My point here is that we tend to drop boundaries when it comes to the lives of those we love. This centurion is a hoping believer. He has heard about the healing power of the man called Jesus. He is desperate. He has nothing to lose. Jesus senses the anxiety of the centurion and says ‘yes’ to his request and the servant is healed. The commander shows a deeper than average faith in the power of Jesus. When Jesus offers to come to his house the centurion shows that he has an understanding of the kind of power that Jesus has. He didn’t have to see it being done to witness it. He just needed Jesus to say ‘yes.’
The take-away for me (and maybe for you also) is that our Lord Jesus seems to be as moved by the anxiety of those asking for others, as he is moved for the person in trouble themselves, maybe even more. Jesus says in John’s Gospel, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God, Believe also in me.” (John 14:1) I say often that God’s ears hears tears. I am now seeing also that a troubled heart attracts our Lord Jesus. Maybe we can take a page from the centurion’s playbook and take our concerns to Jesus and know that we don’t have to physically see Jesus follow us. We will see the healing in Jesus saying ‘yes.’
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and our schools including St. Augustine in Raleigh, North Carolina.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Today our Church remembers Frances Perkins, Public servant and prophet witness, “(April 10, 1880– May 14, 1965) was the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, and the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet.” More can be found at Frances Perkins (satucket.com)
Let us pray:
Dear Healing Lord Jesus, through whom all creation came into being and who knows every part of our bodies and minds, We beg you to hear us as we come to you on behalf of those we love. When our loved ones are in pain, we too are in pain. Please come to the aid of those we seek your help for as well as ourselves. We ask this of you, the Master Healer of all creation; Amen.
onewhoponders 