Matthew 8:5-11

Isaiah 2:1-5

Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, gather me and my family into your heavenly Kingdom. Increase my faith so that I may believe in you more fully. Grant me the gift of hope that I may trust more completely in your promises. Pour out your love into my heart so that I may serve those in my care.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Ingathering of Israel and the Gentiles into the Kingdom: During the first two weeks of Advent, the liturgy invites us to read every day from the book of the prophet Isaiah. The Gospels selected for this week were chosen to bring out something in Isaiah’s text. Today’s readings are connected under the theme of the ingathering of Israel and the Gentile nations into the Kingdom of God. In the First Reading, Isaiah prophesies that one day, not just Israel but all nations will stream toward the Temple Mount. In the Gospel, Jesus heals the servant of a Gentile centurion, and, in this context, Jesus foresees that many “from east and west” will recline with the patriarchs of Israel – with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob – at the banquet in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus understood that, as he proclaimed the arrival of God’s Kingdom in his public ministry, he was inaugurating what the prophets of Israel promised, namely, the restoration of the exiled tribes of Israel. Jesus accomplished this restoration by gathering Israel into the heavenly banquet of the Kingdom of God. Since the tribes of Israel were scattered among the Gentile nations in 722 B.C., it is by bringing the Gentiles into the Kingdom that God brings the scattered tribes of Israel home. The prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in and by Jesus in and through the Church he establishes.

2. The Highest Mountain: Isaiah prophesies that Mount Zion, the “mountain of the Lord’s house,” will become the highest mountain. This is not to be taken literally but figuratively and spiritually. The old Jerusalem and the old Temple needed to be purified. Jesus will accomplish this purification, exalt the newly purified Jerusalem, and establish the New Temple of God. All nations are invited to stream toward this New Jerusalem to receive instruction from the Word of the Lord in the hope that they can then walk in God’s ways. The spiritual exaltation of Mt. Zion is an image of the new creation that Jesus has brought. With the Lord ruling over all nations, there will be universal peace. The old weapons of war will be made into agricultural tools. Conflicts will cease, and there will be no more training for war.

3. Healed by Jesus Christ: In the Gospel, the theme of the new creation is present in the story of the healing of the centurion’s servant. Jesus comes to heal the sick – the old creation – and transform it into something new and everlasting. We can imagine ourselves as the servant lying helpless and paralyzed in bed due to the sin of Adam. We are not worthy for the Son of God to become man, to dwell among us, and enter our homes. We can also imagine ourselves as the centurion who comes to Jesus in faith and humility. He recognizes that he is powerless to cure his servant but knows that Jesus has the divine power to heal. The physical healing of a paralyzed man is a sign that points to something greater, i.e., to the spiritual healing we receive from Christ through the sacraments of the Church.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I thank you for coming to dwell under my roof. I am not worthy of the awesome and great gift of the Eucharist, your very Body and Blood. But only say the word, and I will be healed.

Living the Word of God: Can I spend some time in thanksgiving today for the gift of the Eucharist? Am I truly humble like the centurion of Capernaum, who knows he is unworthy to have Jesus enter into his house? Do I experience the healing power of Jesus when I receive communion?