Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 7:1-10)
Today’s gospel tells of a Roman centurion who recognizes Jesus
as a healer. Jesus fulfills the man’s request
that he heal his servant. The narrative
does not say whether the Roman ever became a disciple of Jesus.
The story is reminiscent of that of Simone Weil, a French Jewish
philosopher. Her heart was converted to
Jesus after meditating on the gospel and other deeply religious
experiences. Weil died a young woman
during World War II. History does not
record her baptism, but she can hardly be counted as other than a follower of
Christ.
Jesus calls all people to himself in truth and love. We are fortunate to have known him through
the sacraments and religious education. Knowing
of his divine love manifested on the cross, we should be willing to break social
taboos and talk about him to others.
