Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
The captain answered, “I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just give an order and
my boy will be healed. For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to
one, ‘Go!’ he goes; and if I say to another, ‘Come!’ he comes; and if I say to my servant, ‘Do
this!’ he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished; and said to those who were following him, “I tell
you, I have not found such faith in Israel. I say to you, many will come from east and west
and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.
Reflect
During the season of Advent, while most people are focused on preparing for and
celebrating Christmas, we prepare to celebrate not just Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, but to
look forward to his second coming. In Advent, we are called to long for the coming of the
kingdom. Since we cannot long for what we cannot imagine, the readings of Advent offer
glimpses of the kingdom of God.
In today’s first reading, Isaiah shares his vision of the kingdom of God. This kingdom is
marked by peace and unity. War is no more and the implements of war have been
repurposed. Weapons that once killed human beings are now implements used to till the
soil and produce food for the people. In a world beset by so much division among nations,
classes, and even families, a place where division is replaced by unity and peace prevails
is something worth longing for. May God bring us to his kingdom where we will be one in
the Body of Christ.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023