The wisdom of Jesus is uplifting, soul-feeding, awesome, perfect.

What do you believe about your past that is keeping you from your future? Welcome to Radical and Relevant, where we're exploring the enduring wisdom of Jesus's teachings. In today's gospel, from the eighth chapter of Matthew's Gospel. We hear about the centurion who comes to Jesus seeking healing for his servant. As Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion answered, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority with soldiers under me. And I say to one, go and he goes. And to another come and he comes. And to my slave do this and he does it." When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who were following him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 

I tell you many will come from east and west and sit at a table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." The word that jumps out at me today is beseech. To beseech means to ask someone to do something fervently and urgently. It's an urgent request, a call to action. When was the last time you beseeched someone to do something? When was the last time you beseeched God? The centurion is beseeching Jesus. The phrase that stirs within us from this reading is when the centurion says to Jesus, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed." More than one billion Catholics around the world recite these words every time they attend Mass. But the idea that strikes me in this passage is that Jesus was amazed. He was amazed at the centurion. Think about that. Imagine amazing Jesus. 

He was amazed by the compassion the Centurion had for His servant. He was amazed by the Centurion's profound and practical understanding of obedience, which filled him with a real living faith. The virtue today's Gospel invites us to adopt could be humility. It could be compassion, mercy, or faith. But I will choose obedience. The word obedience comes from the Latin root, which means to listen deeply, to listen deeply. I beseech you to listen deeply to whatever God is saying to you today. And I encourage you to beseech God, to give you the courage and wisdom to be obedient to what He is asking of you in your life at this moment. Let us do whatever He asks without delay. 

The gospel is always revealing new and interesting things about God, but it's also always revealing new and interesting things about you. Don't let your past block you from embracing the future God wants to give you through the gospel. What do you believe about your past that is keeping you from your future? Jesus' teachings in the Gospels are a constant invitation to a new beginning, to a fresh start, to the rest of your life. Let's embrace that invitation with new enthusiasm today. The gospel of Jesus Christ is as radical and relevant today as ever before. Go out into the world today and astonish people with your obedience. And remember, don't just be yourself. Be the very best version of yourself. All that God created you to be.

Thank you, Ambassadors. You are changing the world. Have a great day. Bye. Bye. Simon, come sit.

I love you.

Have a great day