Sep 17., 2012   /   Homilies

Goodness and Surrender by Fr. Joe Quilongquilong, SJ

Homily of Fr. Jose V.C. Quilongquilong, SJ on the first day of the Novena to the Blessed Trinity through the intercession of St. Therese Couderc

17 Spetember 2012

My dear friends, the message of our gospel today is very appropriate as we open the novena of masses in preparation for the coming Feast-day of St. Therese Courderc on September 26. The message of our gospel captures very well the two characteristics of the spirituality of St. Therese Couderc: goodness and surrender.

Our gospel reading described how Jesus was amazed at the faith of the centurion. We can say that the centurion’s faith was characterized by goodness and surrender.

First, the centurion’s faith was characterized by goodness. He was a good man. He showed “cura personalis” – personal care for his slave (doulos in greek). The Jews in the area also recognized his goodness as they begged Jesus to help him. They told Jesus: “He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.” In other words, the centurion was a “benefactor” (bene facere), someone who did so much good to others. His goodness transcended cultures and religions. The centurion’s goodness was also marked by great humility. He considered himself not worthy to be visited by Jesus. His humble words are what we say now before taking communion: “Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof…” We have here a person who embodied goodness. His goodness was the foundation of his faith.

Second, the centurion’s faith was characterized by surrender. He was helpless before his sick slave. He was a man of great authority, a commander of 100 soldiers, but he was powerless as he sought the healing hand of Jesus. He relied on the help of other people to communicate to Jesus about the condition of his slave. He sought the help of Jesus but he felt unworthy of his presence. He believed that only the Word of Jesus was sufficient for healing to happen. He surrendered to the power of God’s word—Dabar Yahweh.

Thus, the gospel story of the centurion reminds us of the spiritual experiences of St. Therese Couderc: her spiritual experiences of goodness and surrender.

I believe that St. Therese must have perceived the goodness of this centurion as coming from the goodness of God. In her experience she perceived “the goodness of our God, who has communicated to them something of his infinite goodness, so that we may meet it in everything and everywhere.” If St. Ignatius exhorted others “in omnibus amare et servire Domino” (in everything to love and serve the Lord), I believe that this would be the exhortation of St. Therese for us: “in everything is goodness of the Lord!”.

St. Therese must have also resonated with the centurion’s experience of surrender. She knew the power of God’s word as described in the following: “How he (GOD) communicates himself to the one who seeks him sincerely and has known how to surrender herself. Let them experience it and they will see that here is found the true happiness they are vainly seeking elsewhere. The surrendered soul has found paradise on earth, since she enjoys that sweet peace which is part of the happiness of the elect.” We say the following before taking communion: ‘Lord I am not worthy to receive you but only say your word and I shall be healed”. We can adapt this prayer with St. Therese: “…only say your word and I shall be happy.” Truly, our Mass today is a fount of so much goodness and surrender!