Only say the Word.

This weekend I am not giving a homily, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share a short reflection from before I was ordained a Deacon.

Only say the Word.

September 13, 2021

In today's Gospel (Lk 7:1-10) we hear the words of a Roman Centurion: "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof... but only say the word and let my servant be healed." We similarly echo these words at Mass after the Consecration and Lamb of God just before receiving Communion: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." What is the correlation and significance?

First lets look at the Centurion in this story. He is not a Jew but he is a Gentile who loves the Jewish nation, and helped to build their synagogue. He knows full well that being a Gentile, his home, based on Jewish customs, would defile a Jew entering it and make them unclean, and rather than risking Jesus being defiled, he accepts and believes that all that is needed for his servant to be healed is for Jesus to say the Word.

Second, Jesus is the Word Incarnate. In John's Gospel (Jn 1:1, 14a) we are told "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." It is this same Jesus, the Logos of God, who is present in the flesh, and through the institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, makes himself ever present to us. Bread and Wine truly becomes His flesh and blood.

Like the Centurion, we recognize we are not worthy; however, there is nothing we can do that could defile God. And so He does come under our roof, our Church, and is present to us in the Eucharist, the Word made flesh. In faith, though unworthy, we receive Him as we hear the words "The Body of Christ" and we say "Amen" (I believe).