Monday of the 24th week in the ordinary time
Theme: Unity is strength (Umoja ni nguvu)
In the 1st reading of today, St. Paul points out the fact that unity amongst us as children of God is very important in our lives. We have to learn to be patient and considerate in our dealings with one another at all times. Greed and impatience amongst us can easily give rise to disunity and dissention in our midst, and that should not be heard amongst us as children of God. When there is division and different camps, it is almost impossible to find unity and peace in such a place. Interestingly, as children of God, we are encouraged in today’s first reading to propagate peace and love anywhere we find ourselves; because it is one of the ways we can sell our identity to all those who encounter us in our journey of faith. In view of this, we must always make honest and sincere effort to ensure that we are people of peace at all times and also help to propagate peace, love and unity in our daily life. As partakers in the one bread and wine of Christ, St. Paul encourages us to be a symbol of God’s love that we partake of in every Eucharistic celebration that we partake of in our lives.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, in our relationship with God, faith plays a great role in what we do. We faith, we can take seriously the admonition of St. Paul in his 1st letter to the Corinthians. It will spur us to do our best to make Pauls admonition to be taken seriously in our daily lives. The assertion and the faith of the Centurion says a lot about his faith. He believed that God can restore the health of his sick slave, and also acknowledge the fact that he is a sinner and he is not worthy to have Jesus under his roof. In the same way, we have to learn to treat people with some respect and dignity, irrespective of the power we have over them. The action of the Centurion is saying a lot to you and I as Christians in our own time. How do you treat those who work for you and those who are below you in your place of work? Do you treat them well with their dignity in tact or you humiliate them because of your position? The Centurion did the needful as it concerns the health of his slave. Would you have done the same thing, or you would have done the contrary? We are all encouraged today to pay attention to the less privileged among us and restore their dignity when necessary. May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.