Christ is Eternally amongst us! Emmanuel is His Name!

Dear family in Christ, in this Sundays Gospel proclamation, we read the recount of the Roman centurion who approached Jesus to ask that his servant be healed from certain death.  

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” Mt 8:5-7 

The Lord tells the centurion that He will go to his home to heal the servant. However, the centurion recognising Christ’s Kingship and knowing full well that Jesus is the foretold Messiah, says to Him, “Lord, I command legions of soldiers what I tell them they do without question. You need not to come to my home but only say the word and I know my servant shall be made well.” 

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Mt 8:8-9 

Upon hearing this affirmation and seeing the centurion's astonishing faith, the Lord states that He has not found faith as great as this man’s. The Lord thus acclaims, “Go! Your servant has been saved just as you have believed!” 

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.  Mt 8:13 

At times the stresses of life become overwhelming, and we tend to fall into the darkness of despair; believing that all hope is lost, when in actual fact it’s not. The Lord is always by our side with arms outstretched, just as they were when He hung upon the wood of His Glorious cross.  

Therefore, when we present our joys, hopes, sadness, anger and worries to Jesus; asking (not demanding) that He intervene, miracles will surely take place, for just as a good parent gives all they can to their child, so too does God give abundantly; and more! 

In Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul states that we have been set free from sin in Christ, meaning that once we become living members of the Church militant (earthly Church) and live in Christ through the Mysteries of His Church, evil no longer has dominion over us. Things that are impossible for some, become a divine reality. 

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:18-23 

I would like to conclude with a prayer that may aid our daily prayer life; strengthening our faith in the All-Holy-Trinity. 

Lord Jesus, I your servant (name) humbly beseech you to come to my aid. May I lay all earthly cares aside as we pray in the Cherubicon within the context of the Divine Liturgy; surrendering totally to your omnipotence. I ask that my faith grow as each day goes by. May I be your instrument in this world that all may see your unfailing love for humanity. Grant me the same faith as the centurion had when he affirmed his servant would be made well by your word alone. 

I ask you this through the prayers of our Blessed Mother Theotokos. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God. Have mercy