Under the Same Roof

Today's Scripture

What many casual readers of the Bible likely don’t realize is the amount of scrutiny that has been applied to every single chapter and verse in the Bible. Thousands of books have been written on each of the Gospels and even sometimes a chapter or two. Today’s Gospel is not only a passage that has received much attention, but it is also memorialized in a much more pivotal way: It is at the very center of the Catholic Liturgy: It has the pivotal words that we recall immediately before receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof…”

I will not break any new ground here that the thousands of scripture scholars before me did not uncover, but I will share an observation that I am certain has been echoed many times: we can learn much from the Centurion in today’s Gospel. The main thing is this: If Jesus wants it done, it will be done. This is EXACTLY what the Centurion believed about Jesus, yet he didn’t even believe IN Jesus. He was a gentile, likely a Roman soldier (although he might not have been a Roman by birth), by title a commander of 100 soldiers, but not Jewish and before this, not Christian, yet he expresses that Jesus does not even have to enter under his roof to heal his servant. He does know that if Jesus is who He (and everyone else) says He is, that physical presence is not needed to accomplish what Jesus wants to do. He knows that Jesus does not need to even enter the house of the sinner and gentile.

So when we prepare to receive Jesus, we recognize that our sinful bodies are not a worthy place for Him. But the real question is this: do we believe in what Jesus will do, what He WANTS to do? Do we believe that He can make us worthy? Do we believe that it is ACTUALLY HIM that will enter under our roof? Well He wants us to believe this and we know that if Jesus wants it to be done, it will be done – if we agree, if we believe, if we invite Him in, He will make it happen – even if the thing we struggle with is our belief.

We have to acknowledge that if Jesus is who He says He is, then all things are possible through Him and let His will happen.