I Am Not Worthy

(Pixabay/Anemone123)

I Am Not Worthy

Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Piety

For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. 1 Timothy 2:5-6

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. Luke 7:6-7

Study

The very idea that there is one God who loves the Hebrews, the Roman centurion and the Gentiles is new territory that Jesus forged. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the covenant was between God and his Jewish people – not everyone else.

According to the notes in the New American Bible (Revised Edition) for our first reading:

This marked insistence that the liturgical prayer of the community concern itself with the needs of all, whether Christian or not, and especially of those in authority may imply that a disposition existed at Ephesus to refuse prayer for pagans. In actuality, such prayer aids the community to achieve peaceful relationships with non-Christians (1 Tm 2:2) and contributes to salvation, since it derives its value from the presence within the community of Christ, who is the one and only savior of all (1 Tm 2:3–6).

These days, you barely have to turn on the TV before people start to divide us into camps. Last night, there was a health care worker in our home who just helped my mother in law home from the hospital. The TV was on with no volume, but the picture showed “Football Night in America.” He wanted to know if we were for Philadelphia or Atlanta. Sorry – “football agnostic.” Perhaps the lack of volume was not a clue enough for him.

The other day, I read a social media post that created a firestorm. A Catholic priest “tweeted” about his impatience with the choir in his parish for singing more than one verse of the entrance hymn. He wanted to get on with Mass. Others only like organ music, not the contemporary folk hymns composed with guitars. Some people like to kneel for communion received on the tongue. Others stand and take the Eucharist in their hands.  

Within our Church, there are many different practices. The letter from Timothy reminds us that no matter what the practice, there is only one God. There also is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ.

No matter what your preference, we are one community. Jesus is even more inclusive as he rushes off to heal the servant of the Roman centurion. We are one body in this one Lord.

You cannot have a personal relationship with Jesus unless you take on the mantle that Jesus shares. Even though the centurion was not a Jew (and Christians did not yet “exist”), he understood what Jesus asked of us. In his remarkable humility, despite being a stranger in a strange land, the centurion exemplified the attitude and demeanor that Jesus asks of all of us.

Action

Of all the words spoken by the disciples in the New Testament, it is the humble remark of the Roman centurion which we recite before the high point of the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

“Lord, I am not worthy to receive you to have you enter under my roof. But only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.”

The next time you are at Mass, think of that Roman centurion’s humility. He did not want Jesus even to break a sweat to come to his house at the hour of his need. But that did not stop Jesus.

We cannot utter the words unless we also share their spirit. How will you be a centurion today? Can we show such faith in how we live out our lives?

PS: Not only are you worthy of Christ's best work, but you are also more than worthy.  You are Loveable.  After all, the yellow button reminds us, "God don't make junk."