Watch — wait — hope and longing — faith — trust — eagerness and joy — peace –  These are all Advent themes that we meet over and over again during these days of preparation for Christmas.

Today we look at faith, the faith of an ‘outsider’ whose faith surpassed that of those who had been specially chosen and prepared for the coming of the Messiah. The first reading invites all without exception – those with faith and those without it – to come to the Mountain of the Lord. At the Lord’s table we will receive instruction on how to live in peace: War never again, we are told, when we walk in the light of the Lord.

The Gospel recounts the faith of one man, a non-believer, who believed in the power of Jesus to save. The centurion typifies for us the sincerity and humility we need when approaching God’s mysteries and the boundless joy that is ours at receiving even more than we had hoped or imagined; and even more, it shows us God’s own wonder and joy to have found faith enough to accept his offered gifts.

God’s gifts are there, for the asking; we need only open ourselves to receive them.