Luke 7:1-10

1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33

Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17

Luke 7:1-10

When Jesus had finished all his words to the people,

he entered Capernaum.

A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,

and he was valuable to him.

When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him,

asking him to come and save the life of his slave.

They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying,

“He deserves to have you do this for him,

for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.”

And Jesus went with them,

but when he was only a short distance from the house,

the centurion sent friends to tell him,

“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.

For I too am a person 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 at him

and, turning, said to the crowd following him,

“I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

When the messengers returned to the house,

they found the slave in good health.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I desire a deep faith like that of the centurion. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, can heal me physically, mentally, psychologically, and spiritually. I want to conform my life to that of your Son; I want to think as he thinks. I unite the offering of my life to his sacrificial offering.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Centurion of Capernaum: After preaching the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49) to both Jews and Gentiles, Jesus returned to his home base in Capernaum. Capernaum was a border town with a customs post (Matthew 5:27) and likely had a garrison of one hundred soldiers under the command of a centurion (see Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 139). This centurion was likely subject immediately to Herod Antipas, who was appointed tetrarch by Rome and ruled over Galilee. The centurion in today’s Gospel was in good favor with the local Jewish people. The elders of the Jews told Jesus that the centurion loved their nation and that he had built the local synagogue. “In Acts, Luke will describe another centurion, Cornelius, ‘respected by the whole Jewish nation’ (Acts 10:22), whose baptism leads to peaceful coexistence between Jews and Gentiles in the Church (Acts 11:18; 15:7-11). God’s universal plan of salvation thus unfolds through these two centurions (see Luke 2:30-32; 3:6), as Jesus had earlier foretold by mentioning Naaman, the Gentile officer healed by Elisha (Luke 4:27; 2 Kings 5:1-15)” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 139). How is God’s plan of salvation unfolding through me and my family?

2. The Faith of the Gentile Centurion: As Jesus made his way to the centurion’s house to heal the centurion’s slave, the centurion sent his friends to Jesus to relay a message about not needing him to enter his house to work the healing. This shows that the centurion was aware of the traditional prohibition for a Jew to enter the house of a Gentile. The message manifested the deep faith of the Centurion. On the one hand, he was deeply respectful of God’s Law given through Moses and the interpretation given by the religious authorities. On the other, he believed that Jesus could heal from a distance and through his powerful word. The centurion truly understands authority. He himself was subject to authority and exercised authority over others. The centurion’s faith surpassed that of many Israelites. Every mass, we imitate the faith of the Centurion and pray: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” The next time I am at mass, can I pray these words with deep faith and reverence?

3. Guidelines for the Christian Community in Corinth: When Paul sent the First Letter to the Corinthians, one of the issues he wanted to address was how the community was becoming careless in their celebration of the Eucharist. There was division in the community, especially between the poor and the rich. “Disunity among the Corinthians contradicts the very purpose of the Eucharist to unify believers with Christ and one another” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 301). Paul faithfully transmitted to the community how to celebrate the Eucharist. He taught that it was the fulfillment of the old Passover and now commemorates how Jesus, as the New Passover sacrifice, delivered us from sin and death. It is not an ordinary meal and should not be characterized by class division: “When you gather to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, you must not treat it like a profane dinner party, divided by class or selfishly filling yourselves while others go hungry. It is the Lord’s Supper!” (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letter, 105).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, reign in my heart today. I welcome you under my roof. I know that I am not worthy to receive you and yet you are here and dwell within me. Remain with me and in me always.

Living the Word of God: How do I welcome others at mass? Do I seek out the marginalized? Have I befriended those in my local church community? What can I do better to help those in need in my parish community?