Gospel
Lk 7:1-10
When Jesus had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him. When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave. They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, "He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us." And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come here, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he does it." When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." When the messengers returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
Reflection
This Gospel passage reminded me of the prayer we say before receiving holy communion, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” The centurion’s words, “Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed,” I thought echo this sentiment beautifully. The centurion, despite his significant authority as a Roman officer, demonstrated remarkable humility in his encounter with Jesus. Despite his high status and the respect he commanded, he recognized his own unworthiness to have Jesus enter his home. This humility parallels our own preparation for Communion, where we too, recognize our need for grace and healing before receiving Jesus at Mass.
Something someone pointed out to me that I also found interesting was that the centurion did not personally approach Jesus but sent friends to convey his message, feeling unworthy even to speak directly to Him. This act is reminiscent of how we seek the intercession of saints or Mary. Entrusting our prayers to them reflects our humility and acknowledges our reliance on their support and grace.
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