From: Luke 7:1-10

The Centurion’s Faith

[1] After He (Jesus) had ended all His sayings in the hearing of the
people He entered Capernaum. [2] Now a centurion had a slave who
was dear to him, who was sick and at the point of death. [3] When he
heard of Jesus, he sent to Him elders of the Jews, asking Him to come
and heal his slave. [4] And when they came to Jesus, they besought
Him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have You do this for him, [5]
for he loves our nation, and he built us our synagogue.” [6] And Jesus
went with them. When He was not far from the house, the centurion
sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I
am not worthy to have You come under my roof; [7] therefore I did not
presume to come to You. But say the word, and let my servant be
healed. [8] For I am a man set under authority, with soldiers under
me: and I say to one, `Go,’ and he goes; and to another, `Come,’ and
he comes; and to my slave, `Do this,’ and he does it.” [9] When Jesus
heard this He marvelled at him, and turned and said to the multitude
that followed Him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
[10] And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they
found the slave well.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1-10. “They besought Him earnestly” (verse 4). Here is an example of
the effectiveness of the prayer of petition, which induces Almighty God
to work a miracle. In this connection St. Bernard explains what we
should ask God for: “As I see it, the petitions of the heart consists in
three things [...]. The first two have to do with the present, that is,
with
things for the body and for the soul; the third is the blessedness of eter-
nal life. Do not be surprised that He says that we should ask God for
things for the body: all things come from Him, physical as well as spiri-
tual things [...]. However, we should pray more often and more fervently
for things our souls need, that is, for God’s grace and for virtues” (”Fifth
Lenten Sermon”, 8f). To obtain His grace—of whatever kind—God Himself
expects us to ask Him assiduously, confidently, humbly and persistently.

What stands out here is the centurion’s humility: he did not belong to
the chosen people, he was a pagan; but he makes his request through
friends, with deep humility. Humility is the route to faith, whether to
receive faith for the first time or to revive it. Speaking of his own
conver-
sion experience, St. Augustine says that because he was not humble,
he could not understand how Jesus, who was such a humble person,
could be God, nor how God could teach anyone by lowering Himself to
the point of taking on our human condition. This was precisely why the
Word, eternal Truth, became man—to demolish our pride, to encourage
our love, to subdue all things and thereby be able to raise us up (cf.
“Confessions”, VII, 18, 24).

6-7. Such is the faith and humility of the centurion that the Church, in
its eucharistic liturgy, gives us his very words to express our own senti-
ments just before receiving Holy Communion; we too should strive to
have this interior disposition when Jesus enters our roof, our soul.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

1 Timothy 2:1-8 ©

My advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone – petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving – and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. To do this is right, and will please God our saviour: he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth. For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus, who sacrificed himself as a ransom for them all. He is the evidence of this, sent at the appointed time, and I have been named a herald and apostle of it and – I am telling the truth and no lie – a teacher of the faith and the truth to the pagans.

In every place, then, I want the men to lift their hands up reverently in prayer, with no anger or argument.

Psalm

Psalm 27:2,7-9 ©

Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.

Hear the voice of my pleading

as I call for help,

as I lift up my hands in prayer

to your holy place.

Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

in him my heart trusts.

I was helped, my heart rejoices

and I praise him with my song.

Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.

The Lord is the strength of his people,

a fortress where his anointed find salvation.

Save your people; bless Israel your heritage.

Be their shepherd and carry them for ever.

Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps118:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

Make me grasp the way of your precepts,

and I will muse on your wonders.

Alleluia!

Or	Jn3:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:

everyone who believes in him has eternal life.

Alleluia!

Gospel

When Jesus had come to the end of all he wanted the people to hear, he went into Capernaum. A centurion there had a servant, a favourite of his, who was sick and near death. Having heard about Jesus he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him. ‘He deserves this of you’ they said ‘because he is friendly towards our people; in fact, he is the one who built the synagogue.’ So Jesus went with them, and was not very far from the house when the centurion sent word to him by some friends: ‘Sir,’ he said ‘do not put yourself to trouble; because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and for this same reason I did not presume to come to you myself; but give the word and let my servant be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard these words he was astonished at him and, turning round, said to the crowd following him, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found faith like this.’ And when the messengers got back to the house they found the servant in perfect health.