December 1, 2014 8:30am

The Roman centurion says to Jesus, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”

We can look at this opening verse of today’s gospel as giving us the basics for the whole Christian story.

On the one hand, we have happy days, good times, and good health and we hope to have these most of the days of our lives.

On the other hand, we inevitably are also in the position of the servant of the centurion.

The centurion says that his servant is suffering and is paralyzed.

Sometimes this suffering and paralysis hits close to home.

Maybe we have been or someone close to us has been seriously sick.

Maybe we have had or someone close to us has had significant suffering.

And paralysis?

Maybe this describes our inner life at times.

Maybe we feel paralyzed by depression, by doubt, by loneliness, or by a physical disease.

We can feel heavy and lacking in spirit.

For all of these situations and for all of us, Advent is a time that calls us to respond to the hope that the Lord offers.

Jesus says to the centurion, “I will come and cure your servant.”

By his birth as a fellow human being, Jesus comes to cure all of us.

He comes to bring healing and wholeness to all of us.

He comes to bring us mental clarity, emotional peace, spiritual energy, and a way through physical illness.

Our response can to be: “Only say the word and my servant – or I – will be healed.”

We are to place our hope and trust in the Lord – in his word, in his abiding presence, and in his strength through the sacraments.

That is the hope and the direction of hope for this Advent Season.