Healing of the Centurion's Servant

Gospel Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10

Healing of the servant

When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help:

—“Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

Jesus said to him:

—“I will go and heal him.”

But the centurion replied:

—“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him:

—“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Then Jesus said to the centurion:

—“Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.”

And his servant was healed at that very moment.

QUESTIONS AND POINTS FOR REFLECTION

1.- The Humility of Recognizing Our Smallness: The centurion says: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof." We repeat these words at every Mass before receiving Communion. What do you think it truly means to be "worthy" before God? Is it a matter of being perfect or of recognizing that we need His help?
2.- Faith in the Word: The centurion does not ask Jesus to physically go to his house; His Word is enough for him ("only say the word"). In your life of faith, do you trust in the promises of Jesus found in the Gospel, or do you always need "proof" or extraordinary signs to believe?
3.- The Authority of Jesus: The soldier understands authority because he gives orders himself. He sees that Jesus has authority over illness and life. Now that you are about to be confirmed, who has the authority in your life? Do you let the "Word" of Jesus guide your decisions as the centurion directed his soldiers?
4.- A Faith that Amazes God: The text says that Jesus "was amazed" at the faith of this foreign man. What do you think we could do today to make Jesus "marvel" at our faith? What attitudes do you believe please God most in a young person of your age?
5.- The Church is Universal: Jesus announces that many will come from "east and west" (from all over the world) to sit at the table of the Kingdom. Confirmation makes you a witness of a universal faith. How can you help your community or your group of friends be an open place where everyone, regardless of where they come from, feels called by God?