20251201 A PURIFYING FAITH IS NEEDED TO WELCOME THE LORD
01 December 2025, Monday, 1st Week in Advent
First reading | Isaiah 4:2-6 |
The fruit of the earth shall be the pride and adornment of Israel's survivors
That day, the branch of the Lord
shall be beauty and glory,
and the fruit of the earth
shall be the pride and adornment
of Israel’s survivors.
Those who are left of Zion
and remain of Jerusalem
shall be called holy
and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.
When the Lord has washed away
the filth of the daughter of Zion
and cleansed Jerusalem of the blood shed in her
with the blast of judgement and the blast of destruction,
the Lord will come and rest
on the whole stretch of Mount Zion
and on those who are gathered there,
a cloud by day, and smoke,
and by night the brightness of a flaring fire.
For, over all, the glory of the Lord
will be a canopy and a tent
to give shade by day from the heat,
refuge and shelter from the storm and the rain.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 121(122):1-2,4-5,6-9 |
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For the peace of Jerusalem pray:
‘Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls,
in your palaces, peace!’
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For love of my brethren and friends
I say: ‘Peace upon you!’
For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps79:4 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
God of hosts, bring us back:
let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 8:5-11 |
'I am not worthy to have you under my roof: give the word, and my servant will be healed'
When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’
A PURIFYING FAITH IS NEEDED TO WELCOME THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 4:2-6; MATTHEW 8:5-11 ]
At the very onset of the season of Advent, the liturgy seeks to prepare us for the coming of Christ our King into our lives–both now and at the end of time. Advent is the beginning of salvation for us all. Salvation is not limited only to the Jews, the Chosen People of God, the children of Abraham, but is offered to people of all nations who are prepared to welcome Him into their lives. All that is required for us to welcome Jesus into our hearts is faith.
The Gospel incident involving the healing of the centurion’s servant underscores God’s grace given to all, even to the Gentiles. Clearly, the centurion was not a Jew, but more likely a Roman in the service of the emperor or attached to Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee. This centurion was exceptional in the way he treated his servant. We read of his compassion and gratitude toward his servant who was dying. Even though he was not a Jew, he went and pleaded with Jesus when He was in Capernaum, saying, “Sir, my servant is lying at home paralysed and in great pain.” The centurion not only had a good heart but was humble enough to go out of his way to seek healing for his servant. By doing so, he reflected the grace and kindness of God in his heart, even though he was a pagan.
This is very significant and instructive for us. Very often, we think that only believers and those who are baptized are guaranteed salvation in Christ by virtue of their belonging to a particular race or religion. Yet, we can belong to a church or a religion while our hearts are far from God. We think that salvation is a matter of enrolment in a religious institution. The truth, however, is that salvation is given to those whose hearts are with God. This was true of those who were left in Zion after the destruction of the city by the Babylonians. “Those who are left to Zion and remain of Jerusalem shall be called holy, and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.” They were the glory of God. The Lord said, “That day, the branch of the Lord shall be beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be the pride and adornment of Israel’s survivors.”
Accordingly, those who will be saved are those who are aligned with the values of the Kingdom. Implicitly, the Gospel suggests that non-Christians too share, in some way, the faith of the Chosen People of God and of Christians. Their faith is implicit, like that of the centurion. He came to Jesus because he believed that Jesus, being a good and holy man, would also share his compassion for those who suffer–even those considered insignificant by the world. He approached the Lord with confidence, pleading for help. There are many good people–with or without explicit faith in Christ or any religion–who nonetheless have the heart of God toward their neighbours. We can be sure that God looks upon them with love and delight.
The parable of the final judgment comes to mind, when Jesus will deliver His judgment at the end of time: “Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'” (Mt 25:34-40)
Conversely, the situation of the Israelites in the first reading spoke of their infidelity. They were the Chosen People of God, yet they did not live up to the Covenant. They betrayed the Lord and practiced social injustice, corruption, dishonesty, and religious hypocrisy. As a consequence, they were exiled to Babylon. The temple was destroyed, and the kingdom fell into the hands of the Babylonians. Their faith required purification, and that was what the Lord accomplished through the exile. Thus the prophet said, “When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughter of Zion and cleansed Jerusalem of the bloodshed in her with the blast of judgement and the blast of destruction, the Lord will come and rest on the whole stretch of Mount Zion and on those gathered there, a cloud by day, and smoke, and by night the brightness of a flaring fire.”
So too was the case of the people during the time of our Lord. The people of Capernaum were waiting for the Messiah but failed to recognize Him when He came among them. They lacked faith, even though they were aware of their privileged position and of God’s promises to Israel. They sought the Messiah elsewhere while He stood before them. They were too blind to recognize in Jesus the presence of God’s power and Kingdom. We too can fall into the same trap. We have our sacraments. We have the Word of God. We have the Church to guide us. Yet we too have been complacent in responding to the Word.
For those who desire the Lord to enter their lives, purification of faith is necessary. We need to learn from the centurion how to place our trust in the Lord. It must begin with humility. When the Lord offered to go to his house to heal his servant, the centurion was mindful of Jesus and His Jewish customs. He was sensitive to the Lord’s situation, even though Jesus was willing to take the risk of entering a Gentile’s home–something not permitted under Jewish law. Jesus would never allow legalism to prevent Him from doing good. Still, the centurion was humble enough to say, “Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured.” We too must approach the Lord in this manner. We must remain humble and recognize our unworthiness before Him. This is what the Church reminds us at every Eucharist: none of us, no matter how holy, is ever worthy enough to receive Him. If the Lord enters our hearts, it is purely His grace and love for us. We cannot justify ourselves; only the Lord can justify us. Justification is through the grace of faith given to us. And so, with grateful and humble hearts, aware of our sinfulness and lack of love, we come before Him asking for healing of our souls and hearts.
Secondly, following the faith of the centurion, we should believe that the Lord has the power to heal and reconcile us. The centurion said, “Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man, ‘Go,’ and he goes; to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Indeed, the centurion knew that the Lord is all-powerful. We only need to obey Him, and He will work wonders in our lives. Under Christ’s authority, we too can accomplish great things through Him and in Him. It is the Lord who heals and strengthens us. This is the kind of faith that gives glory to the Lord, as He affirmed when He said of the centurion, “I tell you that many will come from the east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.” All who possess such faith in God will be admitted into His Kingdom.
So with the psalmist, we say, “I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’ And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. It is there that the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. For Israel’s law it is, there to praise the Lord’s name. For the peace of Jerusalem pray: ‘Peace be to your homes! May peace reign in your walls, in your palaces, peace!’ For love of my brethren and friends, I say: ‘Peace upon you!’ For love of the house of the Lord I will ask for your good.” Let us welcome Him with humble, compassionate hearts filled with faith and trust in Him.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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