Today's readings invite us to think about meaningful spiritual experiences. Whether we are attending a meeting, sharing a meal with others, asking someone to pray for us, or interceding on behalf of someone else, it is possible to find Jesus in the experience and be in spiritual communion. In our daily spiritual experiences, we encounter and recognize Jesus. In those experiences, we are reminded to love friend and foe and not judge their desire or need for healing by who they are or what they do. The centurion in the gospel sought healing for someone who worked for him, someone he valued so much that he humbled himself to ask Jesus for help. In my opinion, that is where faith begins. Faith begins at the point of humility.

Faith is not just about believing in God or going to church. Faith is when you have nothing, but you know God will provide it, and you refuse to have a doubt in your mind. Faith is when you lose the function of your legs, but you can still imagine yourself dancing and even hear the music in your mind. Faith is when you wait for someone to say, “I forgive you” or “I love you.” Faith is when seemingly simple things like sitting outside or looking out the window fills you with joy and gratitude instead of worry. Faith is when you go to sleep at night knowing that God will gently wake you up in the morning. Faith is when everyone tells you "No," but somehow, you believe that your "yes" is on the way. Faith is when we can still eat together, pray together, attend a church service together, wait for each other, and pray for each other, even when we feel a slight contempt for the church or the human condition. Faith is when, even though you have not been to church in a while, somehow, when your loved one is sick or dying, you run to Jesus.

Loving God, we humbly approach you with our needs. Please help us heal. Amen.