Lord I am not worthy that you should
enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Just before the distribution of Holy Communion in the
celebration of the Mass, the priest, elevating the Sacred Host and Chalice,
announces in the words of John the Baptist: 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. The response that you make,
actually the response that we make, because this is one of the few times that
you and I respond together, is simple. Lord I am not worthy that you should enter
under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. These are the very words of the centurion in
the gospel. The centurion had come to
Jesus asking that a servant be healed.
He was a just man, but not a member of the chosen people. Yet he comes to the Lord Jesus and recognizes
his power to heal. The centurion comes
with humility before the Lord. He
approaches the Lord Jesus with faith in his love and mercy and reverence for
the divine and holy presence that the Lord Jesus is. The Lord Jesus responds to the request of the
centurion by offering to go to the servant.
The centurion responds: Lord I am
not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my
servant shall be healed. In response
to this statement, the Lord Jesus said he had not seen such great faith in all
of Israel. As we prepare to receive the
gift of the Lord in Holy Communion, let us imitate the faith, humility and
reverence of the centurion as we make his words our own and say: Lord I am not worthy that you should enter
under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Presented at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
