Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 8: 5-11

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Centurions were the backbone of the Roman army, each in charge of 100 soldiers. They were widely considered to be men of virtue, cementing the morale of the military. Interestingly, every time a centurion is mentioned in the Gospels, he is also praised. 

There was the centurion who recognized Jesus on the cross as the Son of God. Several times, a centurion provides safe passage for Saint Paul. There’s Cornelius, the first Gentile convert to Christianity. 

And, of course, the centurion in today’s Gospel, who is the most praiseworthy of them all. 

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According to Roman Law, slaves were nobodies. They lived and died at the mercy of their masters. Yet this centurion not only cares that his slave is sick; he also goes out of his way to save him – not by medicine, but by faith.

Hearing that Jesus has entered his town, he rushes out to greet him, pleading for help. The only problem is that the centurion is a Gentile, not a Jew, and the two were sworn enemies. Why, then, would this centurion turn to Christ?

Making matters worse, Jesus reminds him that it was against Jewish Law for a Jew to enter the house of a Gentile, as it would render him impure. 

Undeterred, the centurion cries out, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”

This profession of faith leads to the only time in Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus is “amazed.” He’s not only amazed by the centurion’s compassion, but also by his faith. 

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The centurion teaches us two important lessons. First, faith in Christ is for everyone; it transcends the Law.

Second, those who care for others, especially the poor and vulnerable, always attract the heart and attention of Christ.

During this season of Advent, may we seek to deepen our faith – not only in word, but also in action by caring for the poorest among us.

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Image credits: (1) Be Still… (2) Ottawa Church of Christ (3) Biola Center for Christianity

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Gospel: Matthew 24: 37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Awful things can quickly turn our world upside down.

Looking over the last century in America, there was Pearl Harbor; the assassinations of MLK, JFK, and Charlie Kirk; 9/11; wildfires, hurricanes, and health scares.

I remember my own mother laying in a hospital bed twelve years ago, suddenly diagnosed with terminal stage IV pancreatic cancer. She was 57.

When unexpected things happen, we often wonder, “How prepared were we?”

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Good things can happen just as quickly, particularly when God breaks into our lives. Think of what happened to the Virgin Mary. The angel Gabriel appeared to her on what must’ve been an otherwise ordinary day. Suddenly, she becomes the expectant Mother of God.

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord,” she says, “let it be done unto me according to your word.”

This is the essence of today’s Gospel teaching: Unexpected things happen, both good and bad. The most unexpected being the Lord’s return. Be ready. Or, using the imagery of Noah and the flood, build your ark now.

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These strong words come from Jesus as he is preparing for his death, which is just days away. The Lord is not only concerned about his disciples’ impending grief, but also about how they will live their lives awaiting his return.

Will his absence make their hearts grow fonder? Or will they return to the ordinariness of life, ultimately unchanged by the Gospel?

Notice the Lord describes people doing ordinary things – eating, drinking, working in a field, grinding at the mill, getting married – when, suddenly, he returns like a thief in the night. 

Half of the people are taken, literally “drawn” to God himself, while the other half are left behind. The criteria determining who stays and who goes is not who lives in a heightened state of expectation; rather, who lives their life with faith and charity.

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This image of Jesus coming like a thief in the night is striking. 

“If the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,” he says, “he would not let his house be broken into.”

A thief never warns you of the day and time he intends on breaking into your home. Think of the fugitives who shocked the world when they broke into the Louvre five weeks ago, stealing priceless jewels. 

Thieves rely upon the element of surprise and take what isn’t theirs.

So, why does Jesus liken himself to a thief? 

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Those who are not prepared for his return might see him as thief who threatens to take what is not his – their freedom, their plans for the future, even their own lives.

And yet, believers can feel the same way. 

Consider Saint Paul. In his Letter to the Galatians, he writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and the life I live is no longer my own. Christ is living in me. Though I still live my earthly life, it is a life of faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul’s conversion put an end to his “earthly” life. He was no longer Paul the Pharisee or Paul the Persecutor of Christians; he was Paul the Apostle, a missionary who suffered relentlessly for the sake of the Gospel.

Similarly, when I was ordained a priest, I laid down my earthly life; it’s why I wear black. Black represents death to self, and my white collar symbolizes new life in Christ. 

Through ordination, the Lord has taken my plans for the future, and rewritten them according to his own will. I’m a Georgia boy and a convert, who grew up wanting to be an actor, then a diplomat. I wanted to live all around the world, but landed in New Jersey…

It’s only in hindsight that I’ve come to see God – not as a thief – but as a friend, who has led me to a fuller life. He takes only to bless. It’s what happens to anyone who falls in love with Jesus – slowly our understanding of him changes as we begin dying to ourselves.

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Unexpected things happen. The most unexpected being the Lord’s return at the end of time when he will take us to himself. May we build our ark during this Advent season, ready to greet him when he returns.

We pray in the words of Saint Ignatius:

Take, Lord, receive,

All my liberty, my memory, my understanding,

All that I have and call my own.

You have given all to me,

To you, LORD, I return it.

Everything is yours,

Do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,

That is enough for me.

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Image credits: (1) Bible Questions (2) Freepik (3) Hymns Illustrated

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Gospel: Luke 21: 29-33

Jesus told his disciples a parable.
“Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In his retirement, Thomas Jefferson, our nation’s third president, carried out a project he had contemplated for years.

He took a razor blade and cut and pasted various passages from the Gospels into a single narrative of Christ’s life from his birth to his crucifixion. However, Jefferson intentionally left a few things out: any mention of angels, miracles, or signs of Christ’s divinity.

All that was left were the Lord’s moral teachings. This became known as, “The Jefferson Bible,” which was held in secret until his death. 

The original script has been preserved by the Smithsonian in Washington.

Jefferson did what many human beings are tempted to do: he created a version of God in his own image and likeness, keeping what he liked and tossing out what he didn’t.

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At first glance, today’s Gospel passage might be one of those extra sections we’d be tempted to cut out, because Jesus is speaking about something uncomfortable, the end of the world – and by inclusion, the end of our own lives here on earth.

But as with any page in the Bible, all things must be put into their proper context.

First, consider who will bring an end to the world – not the Evil One, but Jesus Christ, our friend; our Savior; the one who has, “loved us and given himself for us.” A face-to-face encounter with the Son of God is meant to be a moment of tremendous awe and joy!

Secondly, consider what is ending versus what is not. 

What is coming to an end are depressing things like: darkness, war, sin, suffering, and death. Things that have plagued our world ever since Adam and Eve.

What will not end is life. Jesus tells us plainly, “Whoever in me believes has eternal life.”

Not here, but in heaven. The place where our swords will be beaten into plowshares, our spears into pruning hooks; where the lion lays down with the lamb; where we will walk and not grow weary, run and not grow faint.

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As we prepare for Advent and Christmas, we should remember that we are people of the resurrection. Our God comes – not only to live and die as one of us – but also to save us and lead us into life eternal.

Come, Lord Jesus.

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Image credits: (1) Crosswalk.com (2) The Wall Street Journal (3) YouTube, Daily TV Mass