There is a paragraph in today’s Gospel that should stand out to every Catholic.
“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.
Does it sound familiar?
What was Jesus’ reply?
“I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
Jesus was impressed by the faith of a centurion, a Roman Army officer in charge of one hundred soldiers. Jesus healed his slave without even seeing or touching the slave because of this Gentile’s faith. It’s no wonder that Jesus said: “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
Jesus’ reply is incredible. He said that this Roman Gentile had greater faith than anyone in his own faith, the people of his fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Jewish people Jesus was so desperately trying to reach.
What do the words of the Centurion mean for us today? These words are so important that we repeat them at every mass. At the Communion Rite, the Priest holds the Body of Christ over the Chalice of his Blood and says:
Behold the Lamb of God
behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
And 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.
I am not worthy.
In one of his homilies, Father Richard Rohr reminds us of the radical and transformational power of forgiveness:
“When all is said and done, the gospel comes down to forgiveness. I’d say it’s the whole gospel. It’s the beginning, the middle, and the end. People who know how to forgive have known how good it feels to be forgiven, not when they deserved it, but precisely when they didn’t deserve it.
If we’re Christian, we’ve probably said the “Our Father” ten thousand times. The words just slip off our tongues: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” By saying this prayer, we’ve asked and prayed for forgiveness. Notice the full correlation between how we give and how we receive: “Forgive us as we forgive.” They’re the same movement. We need to know that we need mercy, we need understanding, and then we also need to know how to give it. Each flows with the energy of the other.”
He ended with: “If we’re honest, none of us have lived the gospel. None of us have loved as we could love, or as we have been loved by God. I talk about it from the pulpit much better than I live it. And yet that very recognition—that I have not yet lived love—allows me to stand under the waterfall of infinite mercy. It’s only then that I know how to let mercy flow through me freely. That I receive it undeservedly allows me to give it undeservedly.”
This applies to each of us. I know how true it is for me. And yet, God still forgives me.
I am not worthy, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
