“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
Daily Reflections
Saturday, 1st July 2017.
Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Gen 18: 1-15;
Lk 1: 46-50, 53-55;
Mt 8: 5-17
FAITH OF THE CENTURION
The readings of today present two contradicting situations. While, Abraham begs the Lord (in the form of three men) to enter his tent, the Roman Centurion in the Gospel appeals to Jesus, not to enter his home. While Abraham’s wife Sarah is unbelieving and lacking faith, the Centurion trusts Jesus with enormous Faith.
The Centurion who is a pagan, comes to Jesus for the healing of his servant. He knows Jesus could command everything and everyone just as he commanded his subordinates. He believes that it was enough for Jesus to utter the word, even without visiting his home. “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. (Mt 8:8)” This phrase is repeated each time we prepare to receive Holy Communion. It’s a statement of great humility and trust from the Roman Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant from a distance. Jesus is impressed with this man’s faith stating that “in no one in Israel have I found such faith.”
The centurion acknowledges that he is “not worthy” to have Jesus come to his home. None of us are worthy of such a great grace. We are not worthy of Jesus coming to our souls so as to make His dwelling there. In this humble realization, we can also acknowledge that Jesus chooses to come to us anyway. This man was justified in the sense that God poured His grace on him for his humility.
And the fact that the centurion knew he was unworthy of such a grace makes his trust all the more sacred. This shows us that our trust in Jesus must not be based on whether or not we have a right to His presence in our lives, rather, it shows us that our trust is based on our knowledge of His infinite mercy and compassion. When we see that mercy and compassion, we will be in a position to seek it out. Since, Jesus wants us to seek out His mercy despite our unworthiness.
Let us pray for the same faith as of the centurion. Let him be a model for us especially every time we prepare to receive Jesus “under our roof” in Holy Communion.
Prayer: Lord, I am not worthy of You. I am especially not worthy of receiving You in Holy Communion. Help me to humbly recognize this fact and, in that humility, help me to also recognize the fact that You desire to come to me anyway. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.