Summary of Headings
- Understanding the Connection Between Epistle and Gospel
- The Hypostatic Union: Christ's Dual Nature
- Faith Exemplified by the Leper and the Centurion
- The Illusion of Control and True Authority
- Surrendering to Divine Authority
- The Role of Christ in Our Lives
- Christ's Ultimate Victory and Our Role
Understanding the Connection Between Epistle and Gospel
When we first read the epistle in the Gospel side by side, we don't really see how they mesh together. The church always is thematic in its Sunday liturgies, every liturgy is scheduled to sort are sorted, edited according to a specific theme that they wish to to encourage. So the first time reading it, it doesn't seem like there is a there is there is some coherence here, but actually it makes perfect sense. They're speaking of the exact same thing, but from the two different sides.
The Hypostatic Union: Christ's Dual Nature
We have a problem. Human beings, we have a problem because we don't have a strong enough faith to appreciate who and what God is or our Lord Jesus Christ is. We're so used to Him in a certain way, he's become commonplace. The miracle of the hypothetic union of the of the the the fact that God is two natures in one person that Christ's two natures in one person has become almost boring to us, where it's the most staggering and amazing demonstration of divine power that Christ, this man who died, who was born in poverty, who suffered, is actually God and God voluntarily, voluntarily took upon himself this form, this, and he suffered these things for us, being God being perfectly happy himself. More than that, he created all of us. And He puts up with all of us. When we think about who Christ is, it should be earth shattering to us. Truly astonishing, marvelous in the truest sense of the word. Awesome. And the real sense of the word. Terrible in the real sense of the word. We use these words, we abuse those words so often we forget what the original meaning is, what the root words are. The hypothetic union. Christ's being God and man is just the most amazing thing that we could possibly contemplate and we don't even think about.
Faith Exemplified by the Leper and the Centurion
Christ is God. A man who walked this earth, who lived among us is actually God himself. A man who gave himself up out of love for us is actually God himself. And this is the act of faith that we have to admire in both the leper and the centurion. The leper comes up and he says he makes a declaration of the power of Christ, if you will. It's you can make me clean and Christ, simple word. I will let it be done. I will be thou made clean. So much cleaner in Latin volo Monday. I will it and it is done because he is God. Anything he wills is. It is a done deal the second that God wills it. So the Centurion has even more faith. He comes up to him and he says, My son is sick. And when Christ says, Well, let me go, I will lay my hands on him and I'll heal him. He says, You don't need to do that. Knowing who you are, knowing the authority that you carry, you just say the word and that's done. I know that because I know who you are. I know what you are and how to. How does he know this? Because I, too, am a man of authority. I can say to my soldiers, do this and they will do it because I am the authority figure and the authorities above me will tell me to do something and I will do it because that is what an authority that is what a person subject to authority does. And all of nature is under the authority of God. And so all God has to do, all Christ has to do is to will it and it is done as you have believed. So let it be done. And at that same moment, the child was cured.
The Illusion of Control and True Authority
There's faith in the supernatural. Divine nature of Christ is in the central part of our spiritual life because it changes everything once we realize who Christ is. Then it's easy for us to actually start to surrender to him. The big problem that I mentioned at the beginning, our problem is the fact that we think we're in control even if we don't actually say that or think that openly. The fact of the matter is, the way we behave in the way we react to everything around us means that we actually believe that we are the ones in control of things. A teacher I knew up in one of our schools and lost. Led you to jokingly say, if God would only just give me a half hour of absolute power, I could set everything right. I called him a modernist, of course, but the fact of the matter is, that is the mentality that we all have. If people would just listen to me, everything would be better. If people would just follow the rules of the road, everything would be better. I would be at peace. If everybody would just do X, Y or Z, then everything would be so much better. If everybody would just recognize Christ is king. The world would be at peace. No, it wouldn't. Even in Christendom, during the height of the force of the doctrine of Christ, the King B actually lived. There were constant wars and battles between people who believed the exact same thing. That Christ was the King constantly. Queen Isabella, the Catholic, actually attacked the papal states at one point. The Holy Roman Emperor was excommunicated for doing the same thing. There were constant wars. Because humanity is corrupt. That's original sin for you.
Surrendering to Divine Authority
But the more that we surrender ourselves to the fact that Christ truly is God, that He is the source of all power and all authority. All of a sudden, we change. And that's where the epistle comes in. Vengeance is mine. SAYER So, Lord, I will repay. He makes sure Saint Paul makes sure that we understand and that we appreciate the fact that the power and control on this world is not ours. Even if we have authority, parents, you have authority over your children. And there is a real authority and it comes directly from God. You are actually wielding the power of God himself. I have some authority over this chapel and so therefore it comes from God. It is not my power. It is his and I am granted it to do his will, not my own. Parents who cannot choose how to be parents. You must follow the rules that God gives you. He is the one who grants authority and he is the one who makes the rules. But it also means that we have to surrender ourselves to his authority in a very different way. We're on his timeline. We're in his power. We're in his country, which means we have to accept the fact that we don't get to control everything. We don't get to say when something should be done. We don't get to dictate to God the terms of our service. It is an absolute service, which means we are at his beck and call. Well, you must be his instruments. Not his agents. A screwdriver doesn't build a bookcase. The hand that wheels, the screwdriver does. We are the tool. We are the instrument. God is the one who causes us to actually be useful and do good. But only he can do that. The rest of us. Nothing without him. Nothing. Why is that? Because he is God and we are not. A very simple statement.
The Role of Christ in Our Lives
But Christ is God. All power, all authority, all everything begins and ends with him. He is the Creator. He is the Redeemer. He is the Alpha and the omega. He is the bridge between heaven and earth. This is the hand that shelters and protects. But he's also the hand that disciplines and corrects. He is the one that wields power, but he is also the one that distributes power. He is the one who knows all things. He is the one who guides timeline. Just as an example is very easy for us to get discouraged or distracted or frustrated with everything going around us and going on around us in the world. It's so very easy for us to get caught up. And just how awful traffic is in Florida when we're driving to the point that we under we don't understand that Christ is God. And that changes how we perceive traffic. If you think about it, the problem is we're usually too annoyed to think about it. Are too upset or too scared in some cases. But you have to always consider that Christ is God, and that changes everything, every aspect of our lives. Going to work has a different meaning now because Christ is God. And we do his will and we are his instruments when we go to work. We kneel down to pray. It changes everything. Which is why we always pray in the church. With in his name. Through him. Per Domino Notes from years one Christian through our Lord Jesus Christ, everything is His all power. Nobody can say Lord, Lord, but that I give him the power to do so. Nobody can call our Lord Jesus Christ, God or Lord, or have the faith or anything else without Him doing so.
Christ's Ultimate Victory and Our Role
So when we look at the crisis in the church, when we look at the crisis in the world, we look at the politics of the world. We look at everything that's going on. The noise, the media, and the minor problems that we have and the serious problems that we have in our families and wherever else. It all boils down to this. Christ is God. He has everything in hand. And he cannot be defeated. His side will always win. We're scared for family members who have drifted away from the faith. Christ can bring them back with a snap of his fingers. We must believe that. But the problem is, it is at his moment because he knows when is best. Our faith is weak. We want it to be stronger. We must believe that Christ will help us to become stronger Catholics. There are so many problems we have in the world and in the end, in the country and in the church, we must have absolute faith that God is still in control and that Christ will not be conquered by any of these problems. The darker things get, the more brilliant the light shines forth and Christ is the light, and He is the one and only light. He is the one and only authority. He is the one and only power. He is the one and only God. And that is the core and the center of everything that we do and say and think and are. And that must be entirely our our entire character, our entire personality, our entire life. Christ is God. And when we know that we can surrender to him and when we can surrender to him, we could become the useful, constructive instruments that he wants us to be. And we can be a part of the battle that he fights and honorable on the winning side, because he will win. He has won. The enemy pretends like it is. And so we don't get to see that it's so just yet. But he has already won. So let's surrender ourselves to him. And if you want to know, there's no better example of that than our blessed mother. Follow her. Ask her. Listen to her. She will guide you all the way to accept the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in a way that transforms our lives and makes us the instruments of Christ's victory here on Earth, especially over our own souls.
This reflection explores the profound mystery of the hypostatic union—Christ's dual nature as both God and man—and our call to deepen our faith in His divine authority. The text emphasizes that our failure to appreciate this mystery stems from our tendency to treat Christ's divinity as commonplace, rather than the awe-inspiring reality it truly is. Through the examples of the leper and the centurion, we see how genuine faith in Christ's authority can transform our spiritual lives.
Furthermore, the text challenges the illusion of control that many of us hold, reminding us that true authority belongs to God alone. In surrendering to His divine will, we acknowledge that all power and authority are His, which fundamentally changes our perspective on life's challenges. By embracing our role as instruments of God's will, we align ourselves with His ultimate victory, assured by His divine promises and guided by the example of the Blessed Mother. Ultimately, recognizing Christ as the one and only God redefines our lives, calling us to become active participants in His mission on Earth.