Faith and Humility

Gospel Reflection for November 28, 2022

“When he 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 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 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 NABRE)

In this passage, the centurion recognizes Jesus’ ultimate authority. He believes that if he, himself, can make commands that others obey, then surely Jesus, Who has ultimate authority, can make any command and it shall be so. Even if that command is something as miraculous as healing. The centurion’s trust in Jesus, and in His power and authority, is a demonstration of his profound faith.

The centurion also demonstrated true humility in this encounter with Jesus. So much so, we repeat his words every time at Mass. Before receiving the Eucharist, we say, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

When you say these words, do you truly mean them? Or do you recite them unconsciously, by just going through the motions? May we have a truly contrite heart when we say these words.

Unfortunately, we live in a time of entitlement, where everyone thinks that everyone deserves to have everything they want. We must never approach the Eucharist with this same attitude of entitlement. We should always receive our Lord with humility, like that of the centurion’s, and truly mean it when we say that we are not worthy. We must repent and feel deep remorse and sorrow for our sins, and we must receive the Eucharist with gratitude.

Like the centurion, may we develop and practice deep faith and humility.