The words of the centurion in today’s Gospel are very familiar to us since we pronounce these words right before we receive communion:
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”
This centurion comes to Jesus with his urgent appeal: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” Jesus replies without hesitation to this Gentile centurion: “I will come and cure him.” This centurion, especially as a non-Jew, recognizes that he is unworthy to receive Jesus into his home:
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.”
This Gentile centurion is a man of authority and yet he humbles himself before Jesus as he recognizes his own unworthiness. Jesus, nonetheless, is not concerned whether he is a Jew or a Gentile, whether he is worthy or unworthy. Jesus wants to come to this man’s home and show compassion and acceptance.
Like this centurion you and I come to Jesus today with our urgent appeal. “Lord, come and heal us, Lord come and save us.” In our humility we recognize that we are unworthy, but Jesus wants to come to us. Jesus wants to come and heal us. We are not worthy for Jesus to come to our home, and we are not worthy to receive Jesus nonetheless he wants to come to us and says to us the same words he said to the centurion: “I will come and heal” you.
Right before Jesus comes to us and we receive communion we make the words of the centurion our own:
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”
Jesus comes to us and speaks his healing words to us. Let us receive his words, let us accept his gifts of forgiveness and healing.
Image: “Roman marble relief of soldiers from Cumae, 1” by diffendale is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.