Monday of the First Week of Advent
December 3, 2007
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof."
- Matthew 8:8

There is nothing you can do in the future to cause God to love you more than he loves you right now. Quiet yourself and think about that for awhile. If you were to find a cure for AIDS or cancer, put an end to war or abortion, lead millions to faith in Christ, that would not make God love you more than this moment you are reading this.

Based on our same belief of God's unchanging love, there is nothing you could do in the future to cause God to love you less than he loves you right now. When we sin we choose to separate ourselves from God. But no matter how badly or habitually we have chosen to sin, that does not change God whose nature cannot change.

In our gospel today a centurion appeals to Jesus on behalf of his servant who is paralyzed and suffering. The centurion bids Jesus to heal from afar because he says he is not "worthy" to have Jesus under his roof. While the centurion is showing great faith and respect in his request, how many times might we, without faith, say to Jesus, "Lord I am not worthy of you so please do not come into the house of my heart?"

Worthiness. Don't we think about worthiness in terms of gaining or losing it? If I do something really great then I will somehow have gained more of God's love and approval and if I do something bad God's love for me will lessen. We cannot somehow earn or merit God's love and cannot forfeit it. It is. It is for us!

Worthiness and becoming worthy is an act of faith. It is joining the centurion in saying what we say each time before we receive communion at mass, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed." It is not seeing it as you and I see it. It is seeing it as God sees it. And God sees it as you are made worthy in Jesus Christ.

You are worthy of God's love! Jesus has made it so. In faith, we receive Jesus into the house of our hearts.

We need to live in what Jesus has done, not in what we are trying to do.

We are infinitely blessed!

+ Fr. John