The following reflection and prayer is based of this Gospel Reading:
When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man 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 and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 8:5-11)
Reflection and Prayer:
Three things strike me about this unnamed centurion. His compassion for his servant, his humility, and most of all, his trust in Christ. In fact, the way these virtues work together in this scripture amaze me. The centurion, with true humility is aware of His sins and his unworthiness, yet his compassion for his suffering, paralyzed servant, and trust in God moves Him to seek Jesus for His servant’s behalf. Despite the knowledge of his sins and his unworthiness, the centurion trusts Jesus to heal his servant. He even trusts him to be able to “say the word” and heal his servant from afar. This display of faith astounds me, but it shouldn’t. If Christ is God, Creator of the universe who spoke all creation into being, why can’t he heal from a distance? Why would touch be required? This display of faith shows that this centurion recognizes and fully believes that Christ is Lord.
Father of Heaven and Earth, Creator of all things, as we prepare for Christ’s coming this Advent Season, bless us with the ability to recognize Christ when He comes, and bless us with the faith of the centurion soldier. May we trust that we can always come to you despite our sins and unworthiness. May we never fear to ask you for the healing of ourselves and others.
