The Lord called Isaiah to be a prophet to the people of Israel at a critical time in their history. He was sent to not only warn them of their impending doom at the hands of the Assyrians but to also reassure them of the promise that God would restore them to glory and greatness. Much of Isaiah’s prophecies also point us to the time of the Messiah.

We know that the promise that Isaiah foretold was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. And yet, even when Jesus appeared, the people of Israel didn’t fully acknowledge who He was. They couldn’t see that He was the Messiah. They never recognized that He was the only one who could bring about their liberation and restoration to glory.

So often in the gospels, we see that it was the people that we least expected who recognize Jesus. It was usually the outcasts, great sinners, Gentiles, or even Jews who weren’t living out the Jewish customs as they should have been. The Gospel we have just heard gives us another example of that in the Centurion. He didn’t just recognize Jesus as some great miracle worker; instead, he knew that Jesus was the Messiah. He knew of the power that Jesus had within Him, who He represented. So, he humbly comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal the servant. Because of that, Jesus performed this miracle.

That should bring us to a moment of reflection: Who are we like? Are we like the Centurion, acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, having faith that He is the fulfillment of all our hopes? Or are we more like the Jewish people who failed to recognize Jesus as the Savior?

Now, of course, we all know that Jesus is the Lord…we wouldn’t at Mass on a regular basis if that weren’t the case. We wouldn’t even consider ourselves Christians. But the deeper question is: do we always live out of that reality? Do we have unfailing trust in Jesus? Do we allow Him to have access to every part of our lives, to give to Him unreservedly, to follow His every invitation, to live our lives in complete obedience to Him? That’s where it gets a little more challenging for us…myself included.

This Advent season, let’s grow in those areas. Over the next few weeks, let’s be serious about inviting the Lord more deeply into our hearts, giving Him total access to our hearts, giving to Him without holding back, following His promptings, and living in obedience to Him. As I said in my homily on Friday, let’s make this season count so that when Christ comes at Christmas, our hearts will be ready to receive Him. 

Painting: Christ and the Centurion by Paolo Veronese in the Toledo Museum of Art. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries. Wikimedia Commons.