20 The First Week of Advent Monday Remember that you are in the presence of the Lord. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In today’s Gospel reading, we will hear words almost identical to those we say at Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” Like the centurion in the Gospel, we, too, ask Jesus for healing every time we go to Mass. But unlike the centurion, we aren’t asking our Lord to heal someone else. We are asking him to heal our very souls, to make us holy so that we may welcome him into our bodies in Holy Communion. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew: 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.” (Matthew 8:5 -8) The centurion had great faith that Jesus could heal his servant. Not only that: he knew that Jesus did not have to physically travel to see the sick man. No, Jesus’ word alone would be enough to heal him! Jesus was amazed by the faith of this officer. What a great model of faith for us to follow!
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