Reflection
1 Corinthians 11: 17-33
Psalm 40
Luke 7: 1-10
Quite a day today as we celebrate the martyrs St. Pope Cornelius and St. Bishop Cyprian! Both of these brave men grabbed ahold of a great faith in our Lord and possessed a tremendous desire to share that faith even in the face of being martyred. Cornelius became pope in 251 AD, and it was Cyprian who helped Cornelius be recognized as the true pope in light of a schism directed by Novatus. Cornelius fought valiantly against the Novation Schism, which declared that those who turned away from the Church could never be accepted back into the Church….Cyrian pointed out the problem of forgiveness and judgment in those teachings.
These wonderful saints reflect the earnest teachings of Jesus found in our gospel today. In our gospel, the Roman centurion asks the Jewish elders to intercede for the centurion in the healing of the centurion’s slave. This centurion would of course have been a pagan, and yet he knew there was something different about this Jesus.
Jesus looks at the centurion as one in need, not at what he has done but rather where Jesus can take him. The centurion certainly could not have understood any prophesies of the Torah, or had much use for the Mosaic Law. What the centurion does have, though, is a great respect for the authority of Jesus and trust in what Jesus can do.
Cornelius and Cyprian were teaching the same thing. God spends more time looking at where He wants us to go than where we have been. He asks us to seek forgiveness for the goofy stuff we have done, put all of our trust in Him and move forward. So today, what is bugging you? What do you need Jesus to take over for you? Are you willing to let Jesus lead you the way HE wants you to go, not the way you are telling Him you want to go?
It is a great day! Go smile at God today!