Coming to Cure

Gospel: Matthew 8: 5-11

"I will come and cure him."  This announcement is Jesus' response to the centurion who asks him to heal his servant.  This sentence forms the entire theme of Advent as well.  We have received the announcement that Jesus will come to provide a cure for what ails us.  We have been in the grips of illness for so long.  We are on the point of death and can't even ask help for ourselves that we need another to ask fur us.  And Jesus states that he comes to cure us.

Now, this announcement holds true for all the comings of Jesus in our lives.  Not only was it true in his coming to earth 2000 years ago.  It is true for each coming into our lives here on earth.  Whenever we encounter the Lord in moments of grace - in the person of others, in sacramental experiences, in moments of religious experience in prayer and nature - it is a moment of healing for us.  In fact, we can say that any authentic religious experience is one where we have this feeling of healing, liberation, and nourishment.  

So, now that we have had this experience of encounter and healing with the Lord, what now?  Now, it is our task to be the presence of healing, liberation, and healing for others in the same way that Jesus had been for us.  We are now to be Christ for others and be a healing presence in the world that is in such need of healing presence.  This is our Advent task: to discern how and where we are called to be the healing presence of God for others.