Luke 7:1-10

Gospel Reflection for September 18, 2023

“When he 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.” (Luke 7:1-10 NABRE)

Why did Jesus say that the centurion had such great faith? It’s because he trusted in Jesus’ Divine authority and faithfully knew that Jesus could heal his servant.

Notice that the centurion didn’t bribe Jesus, or try to overly persuade or convince Jesus to answer his petition. Rather, he approached the Lord in simplicity.

Ultimately the centurion said, “I know how authority works, as I am a person of authority myself. Say the word and my servant shall be healed.”

That was it! And Jesus did as he asked.

The centurion approached Jesus in humility, simplicity, trust, and faith. Do we approach the Lord like this?

How often do we find ourselves doubting whether or not God will hear or answer our prayers? How often do we carry on and on, and over and over again, trying to persuade the Lord to respond to our petitions?

May we strive to approach the Lord just as the centurion did, by trusting in the Divine power and authority of Jesus and believing in faith that He will respond to our petitions.

The Lord hears you and He knows what you desire. So, like the centurion, you need to trust the Lord, have faith in Him, and pray with humility and simplicity for what you need.

“In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Mt. 6:7-8)