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Gospel: Matthew 8: 5-11
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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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As we enter into this holiday season, each of us should have the spirit of the centurion in today’s Gospel.
Centurions were not Jews. They were Gentile officers in the Roman army who were proven soldiers, each in charge of 100 men. They were powerful and often wealthy.
Why is this centurion important? What makes him a “Christmas figure,” someone who’s example we should follow?
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He goes out of his way to care for the poor and forgotten.
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Back in his home, one of his servants lay sick in bed. It would’ve been common practice to let the person die; servants had no legal rights. They were considered disposable by society.
But this centurion goes to great lengths, pleading before the Lord on his servant’s behalf. And once Jesus agrees to visit, the centurion makes a beautiful profession of faith.
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant shall be healed.”
Jesus was literally “amazed” by his compassion and display of faith. In fact, it’s the only time in Matthew’s Gospel when the word, “amazed,” is used.
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What might this centurion’s example say to us?
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Over the next few weeks, we’ll be occupied with mental checklists, cooking, shopping, writing Christmas cards, and tidying up our homes, preparing for visitors.
But, like the centurion, do not forget the “sick” – the poor, the forgotten, the bedridden, the neighbor without visitors, the extended family member in a nursing home, the teenager who seems lost in their phone.
We should go out of our way to care for those whom society often forgets. Whatever we do to the least of these, our brothers and sisters, we do to Jesus.
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Image credits: (1) Lavarijewelers.com (2) Christ Healing the Centurion’s Servant, Bernardo Castello (3) Trinity Church, Vancouver, Simon Pettit
Thank you, Father. What a beautiful reminder to open Advent. Of course I recognized the act of faith “O Lord, I am not worthy. . .” but I learned two facts from this narrative. First, I never had thought about why these Roman officers were called centurions; today I learned that they each led 100 foot soldiers. Second, I appreciated for the first time the humanity and inherent social justice of this Centurion manifested by his caring for his sick servant. Oh, wait. One more fact: this narrative is the only time Jesus uses the word “amazed” as his response to the Centurion. And all this, Father, after hearing this gospel passage at least 25 times in my Catholic lifetime. Thank you for all these lessons grace-fully shared.
Beautiful. Thanks Marylu! God bless you