September 18, 2023
Monday for the Twenty-Fourth Week for Ordinary Time
Readings for Today
Listen for English
“Lord, no trouble Yourself, because I no worthy make You enter under my roof. Na why I no consider myself worthy to come meet You; but just talk di word, make my servant well.” Luke 7:6–7
Di interesting thing be say, no be di Roman centurion himself talk these humble words to Jesus. Di reason be say di centurion no even believe say e worthy to go meet Jesus by himself. Na why e send some of im friends make dem talk these words to Jesus on im behalf. Truly, di friends of this centurion stand before Jesus as people wey dey plead on im behalf. Jesus show say di centurion faith amaze Am. Jesus tell di crowd wey dey with Am, “I dey tell una, even for Israel, I never find this kind faith.” And for that moment, Jesus heal di servant from far away.
Most times, if we get important request to make from another person, we dey go by ourself. We dey go meet di person, talk face-to-face. And even though we fit surely go meet our Lord for prayer, face-to-face, as one person to another Person, to carry our needs go meet our Lord through another person wey dey plead for us dey show deep humility. In particular, to ask di saints make dem pray on our behalf dey show deep humility.
We no dey ask di saints to plead for us before our Lord because we dey fear our Lord, or because E go vex if we go meet Am directly. Di best reason to do am na to show deep humility. As we put our prayer for di care of those wey dey Heaven, wey dey look di face of God, na God we really dey put our prayer for Im hand. But to depend on di saints to plead for us na also way to acknowledge say, by our own merits, we no worthy to stand before di Lord and bring our request to Am. Sometimes, this kind humility fit hard to understand, but e important make we try.
Wetin you need to pray about for your life right now? As you dey think about am, choose one saint make e be your friend and plead for you before God. Turn to that saint with humility and pray to am, as you dey admit say you no worthy to go meet our Lord on your own. Then put your request for that saint hand and ask am make e present that prayer to our Lord on your behalf. To pray to our Lord through di intercession of one saint na also way to talk say you know say Jesus dey answer you out of pure mercy. And di good news be say Jesus really want pour Im mercy on us when we humble ourself before Am, especially when we come meet Am through di saints wey dey plead for us.
Today, reflect on di humility of this Roman centurion wey people respect well. Try understand di power wey dey inside di humble way e take send im friends to Jesus on im behalf. As you dey do so, choose one saint for Heaven and ask am make e go meet our Lord on your behalf and ask our Lord to give you di same humility and faith wey this centurion get. If you do so, your faith and humility go amaze our Lord too.
Saints of God, abeg, present my humble request to Jesus, say make I grow more for humility and faith. My Lord wey I treasure, I truly bring this prayer and all my prayers to You. As I dey do so, I acknowledge say I no worthy to receive Your Divine Mercy. But through the mediation of the saints for Heaven, if na Your will to show me Your mercy, then I humbly make this request to You through dem. Mother Mary, I especially hand over all my prayers to Your holy intercession. Jesus, na You I trust.
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Meditations on Scripture for Ordinary Time
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