1 July, Saturday — Our Hearts Recognize the Lord

Saturday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time

Gen 18:1-15
Mt 8:5-17

…just give the word and my servant will be cured.

It is not clear whether the centurion was a follower of Jesus Christ before this event. I wonder how he managed to get to know Jesus so much that he put his trust in him. Was it through his servant? Did he hear of Jesus from someone? Did he witness Jesus performing miracles? Whatever the reason is, I believe it was because he had a heart that could recognize our Lord. And I believe every one of us has a heart that is bound to recognize Jesus, and more than this, we all have a heart that seeks God.

When I was in primary 5, I asked a young preacher if the Catholic Faith was indeed the true faith. Even before Jesus came, religion had been a crucial part of civilization. I foolishly thought, then, that having many religions meant that there is not really a true God and that religion is just a construct of our mind.

After reading books and listening to talks, I slowly began to realize that the existence of many religions actually points to the fact that there is a God. After all, how could billions of people have the same awareness that there is a God who is greater than ourselves? Our hearts are really wired to seek the Lord, just as what St Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

What’s even more wonderful is that our hearts are also designed to know the will and the heart of God. God has written the natural law in our hearts. God has designed our hearts to recognize what is good, true and just (which are basically the same adjectives we use to describe God). God has designed our hearts to love, and to give mercy, to forgive, and to will the good of the other. God has indeed made us in his image and likeness.

What does this mean for us? I think it’s an invitation for us to sit down and spend time with God in prayer in our hearts. I think it’s an invitation for us to slow down, take a breather, and seek quietness. Let us remember that we can hear God’s voice in the silence of our hearts. Brothers and sisters, perhaps today is an invitation for us to come home to ourselves and find God already there in our hearts. Because our Lord has given us a heart that can recognize him.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Stephanie Villa)

Prayer: Dear Lord, may you give me the grace to spend a few minutes in silence with you in my heart.

Thanksgiving: Thank you, God, for giving me the grace to recognize you.