Humility, faith and mercy are intertwined

Sometimes, it’s hard to have faith. We are rational, scientific, and want tangible proof or explanations for everything.  But the centurion in Luke’s gospel (Luke 7:1-10) was not like this - he had incredible faith in Jesus.  He came to Jesus, humbled, and just stated a fact, “my servant is suffering”.  He didn't ask Jesus to cure him, he just had faith that Jesus would know what needed to be done.  Many of us, myself included, seem to think we know what we need.  Instead of telling Jesus how it is and trusting that He will provide and care for us, we ask for things.  We ask for that new job, for money, for things that we think will make us happy.  But that’s not what we’re called to do.  We must have faith that Jesus has the right answers and the right timing.  We might not know what we really need, or when something should happen.  As scary as it is, we need to trust that our loving God will take care of us, because He knows what’s best for us.  Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.  Jesus is the mediator between God and humankind. With a word from Jesus, God's will is done.

In the first reading at Mass today we are told that we need to pray for all those in authority. With great power comes great responsibility, and we should pray for our leaders to take that responsibility seriously. We pray that those in authority are good leaders, wield their power responsibly, and keep the well-being of their people in mind. They do have authority. They do have power. They can affect the lives of their people, so we pray they are good and wise leaders and use their power well.

Too often in our life of prayer we pray as if we have a right to God’s grace.  This is a profound mistake.  We must seek to follow the centurion’s example by understanding that we do not have a right to anything from our Lord.  Humility, faith and mercy are intertwined.  The humble profession of that truth was an act of great faith on the centurion’s part, a “man of authority”.  The result was that mercy was sent forth upon the centurion and his servant.

This humble acknowledgment is the necessary foundation for the reception of the abundant mercy of God.  Mercy is a gift, not a right.  But the good news is that God’s heart burns with a desire to pour forth that gift.  Acknowledging mercy as an absolute gift, to which we have no right, unleashes its power in our lives.  Understanding this humble truth is a profession of faith in God’s mercy and delights His heart abundantly.