WEBVTT 00:00:09.329 --> 00:00:15.269 Glory to Jesus Christ. Today, a centurion comes 00:00:15.269 --> 00:00:19.210 to Christ. Today, a man of great power, authority, 00:00:19.550 --> 00:00:22.530 and respect, who commands nearly a hundred soldiers, 00:00:22.670 --> 00:00:26.649 is so concerned for the life of his sick and 00:00:26.649 --> 00:00:29.760 paralyzed servant. that instead of sending a 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:31.879 messenger, which he could have easily done, he 00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:34.960 personally goes to Jesus to ask for his help. 00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:39.020 And when Jesus says that he'll go heal him, the 00:00:39.020 --> 00:00:43.399 centurion politely refuses. Now, this isn't because 00:00:43.399 --> 00:00:47.619 he doesn't want to inconvenience Jesus, or because 00:00:47.619 --> 00:00:50.899 he's a high -ranking Roman officer who's somehow 00:00:50.899 --> 00:00:55.380 ashamed to be seen welcoming a lowly Jewish vagabond 00:00:55.380 --> 00:00:59.329 rabbi into his home. No. he refuses because he's 00:00:59.329 --> 00:01:03.710 ashamed of himself. He says, Lord, I am not worthy 00:01:03.710 --> 00:01:07.590 to have you come under my roof. I am not worthy. 00:01:08.250 --> 00:01:11.530 So why is he not worthy? Why is he not sufficient? 00:01:11.890 --> 00:01:14.810 I mean, isn't he a Roman officer? Doesn't he 00:01:14.810 --> 00:01:17.530 have a hundred men under his command? And hasn't 00:01:17.530 --> 00:01:20.569 he come all this way to personally beg Jesus 00:01:20.569 --> 00:01:24.769 to heal his servant? And isn't that commendable 00:01:24.769 --> 00:01:28.269 in and of itself? So why is he not worthy? You 00:01:28.269 --> 00:01:32.269 see, a Roman soldier, by Roman law, is obliged 00:01:32.269 --> 00:01:35.650 to offer incense, a sacrifice of incense to the 00:01:35.650 --> 00:01:38.549 pagan gods, most especially to the emperor, whom 00:01:38.549 --> 00:01:41.609 they saw as divine. And if you refuse to offer 00:01:41.609 --> 00:01:44.370 that incense, well, that's tantamount to high 00:01:44.370 --> 00:01:48.329 treason, punishable by death. Now, we're actually 00:01:48.329 --> 00:01:50.569 fortunate enough in this church to have a whole 00:01:50.569 --> 00:01:53.310 wall of iconography there in the back, dedicated 00:01:53.310 --> 00:01:57.489 to the 40 holy martyrs of Sebaste. were Roman 00:01:57.489 --> 00:02:00.989 soldiers who were killed precisely because they 00:02:00.989 --> 00:02:04.569 would not offer that incense. And so this centurion 00:02:04.569 --> 00:02:08.870 is acutely aware of his unworthiness before Christ 00:02:08.870 --> 00:02:12.349 because he has retained his position and his 00:02:12.349 --> 00:02:16.969 very life by offering incense to foreign idols. 00:02:17.849 --> 00:02:21.129 And he clearly knows this is wrong because he 00:02:21.129 --> 00:02:24.710 has a growing awareness that the God of the Jews, 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:27.900 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the one true 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:32.180 God. And now this faith has grown to the point 00:02:32.180 --> 00:02:36.300 that has moved him to action. Now despite all 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:39.060 of his achievements, despite his rank and his 00:02:39.060 --> 00:02:42.740 authority, he can do nothing to heal his servant. 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:46.719 He's just not sufficient. And so he comes to 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:51.280 Jesus. And by coming to Jesus publicly, he's 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:55.629 essentially exposed himself as a believer. Begging 00:02:55.629 --> 00:02:59.150 a lowly subject of the Roman Empire, who isn't 00:02:59.150 --> 00:03:02.069 even a citizen, someone they consider a barbarian, 00:03:02.069 --> 00:03:04.830 who belongs to a religion hostile to theirs, 00:03:04.949 --> 00:03:08.990 begging someone like that is way below the dignity 00:03:08.990 --> 00:03:12.469 of a Roman officer. Now, it's not only inconceivable, 00:03:12.669 --> 00:03:17.469 but it's utterly humiliating. And this, this 00:03:17.469 --> 00:03:20.729 is why Christ is astounded. This is why Jesus 00:03:20.729 --> 00:03:24.479 marvels, and he only marvels twice. in all the 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:27.840 Gospels. He marvels here at the faith of the 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:31.900 pagan centurion Gentile, and he marvels at the 00:03:31.900 --> 00:03:36.060 unbelief of the people of his own hometown of 00:03:36.060 --> 00:03:40.460 Nazareth. And so Jesus uses the faith of the 00:03:40.460 --> 00:03:43.900 Gentile centurion as a standard with which to 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:47.879 judge his own people. He says, I have not found 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:52.199 such great faith, not even in Israel. And that, 00:03:52.669 --> 00:03:56.069 is such a heavy blow to them. Because the people 00:03:56.069 --> 00:04:00.110 of Israel have been given everything. They are 00:04:00.110 --> 00:04:02.449 the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:04:02.610 --> 00:04:05.669 They were saved out of Egypt by God. They were 00:04:05.669 --> 00:04:08.449 fed and protected by God in the desert. They 00:04:08.449 --> 00:04:11.050 were given the Ten Commandments. God literally 00:04:11.050 --> 00:04:13.990 lived in their midst in the tabernacle and then 00:04:13.990 --> 00:04:16.629 in the temple. And then God gave them prophets 00:04:16.629 --> 00:04:20.029 who wrote about Christ. In short, they were given 00:04:20.029 --> 00:04:23.199 every advantage possible. for their salvation. 00:04:23.980 --> 00:04:27.040 So by all means, they should be sufficient. They 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:30.240 should be worthy. They should have faith in Christ. 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:35.339 So how could they possibly fall short? How could 00:04:35.339 --> 00:04:38.319 it be that they don't have as much faith as this 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:43.459 pagan Gentile? You know, this forces me to think 00:04:43.459 --> 00:04:47.300 about all of the advantages I've been given in 00:04:47.300 --> 00:04:50.620 my own spiritual life. I was given the seal of 00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:53.680 the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism, and the 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:56.839 law of God was written on my heart. I had a great 00:04:56.839 --> 00:04:59.560 catechist. I've had the best spiritual fathers 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:02.939 anyone can ask for. I have the whole Bible at 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:06.860 my fingertips. And whenever I wander away, when 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:09.579 I miss the mark, when I make mistakes and push 00:05:09.579 --> 00:05:13.480 God away, I'm shown grace and given the opportunity 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:17.519 to repent and reconcile with God. through confession 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:21.639 and forgiveness of my sins. I'm given even more 00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:25.300 advantages than the Jews ever had, unimaginably 00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:30.279 more. And yet, I find myself constantly squandering 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:34.120 it all. I walk out of those doors, and I so quickly 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:37.680 forget about God and the priceless gifts he's 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:41.759 given me. You see, I'm not like that centurion 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:43.759 who humbled himself to take care of his sick 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:47.939 servant. How often is it? that I encounter people 00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:50.860 begging in the street and I just walk by them 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:53.860 without ever looking them in the eye or stopping 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:57.399 to ask what they need? How often is it that I'm 00:05:57.399 --> 00:06:00.120 too caught up in my own world, in my own ego, 00:06:00.259 --> 00:06:03.959 that I'm completely unaware of how I can personally 00:06:03.959 --> 00:06:06.939 alleviate the suffering of my family members 00:06:06.939 --> 00:06:10.980 or the members of my community? And even if I 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:13.560 am aware, honestly, how often is it that I try 00:06:13.560 --> 00:06:17.300 my darndest to take the easy route, the least 00:06:17.300 --> 00:06:20.379 costly to me, the most convenient way for me 00:06:20.379 --> 00:06:24.439 to help them. Remember, the centurion's faith 00:06:24.439 --> 00:06:27.959 moves him to action at great cost to himself, 00:06:28.300 --> 00:06:32.500 at great cost to his own reputation. It moves 00:06:32.500 --> 00:06:36.360 him to imitate Christ, to become a living icon 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:39.279 of the Good Samaritan, to become an embodiment 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:42.620 of the shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the 00:06:42.620 --> 00:06:46.410 one lost sheep. But more than that, Can you imagine 00:06:46.410 --> 00:06:49.430 what sort of impression that must have made on 00:06:49.430 --> 00:06:52.589 the soldiers under his command? Or on the people 00:06:52.589 --> 00:06:56.069 in the area who knew him and respected him? I 00:06:56.069 --> 00:06:57.529 mean, there's no way he could have hidden this. 00:06:58.290 --> 00:07:00.610 Can you imagine what kind of witness that was? 00:07:01.209 --> 00:07:04.389 Imagine how many people were primed to receive 00:07:04.389 --> 00:07:07.189 the good news of the resurrection after seeing 00:07:07.189 --> 00:07:11.949 or hearing about this. And yet, that pagan centurion... 00:07:12.379 --> 00:07:14.680 had received none of the advantages that the 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:17.339 Jews had, none of the advantages that I have. 00:07:18.019 --> 00:07:22.680 You see, I have no excuse. So when I fail to 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:25.620 act like Christ, when I neglect his commandments 00:07:25.620 --> 00:07:28.660 out of convenience, when I fail to recognize 00:07:28.660 --> 00:07:31.920 my Lord and God in the face of his children, 00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:35.519 in the face of my wife, my teachers, the person 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:39.040 serving my coffee, or even in the face of... 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:41.879 that co -worker or classmate who just really 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:45.660 annoys me. Then I have failed to recognize God 00:07:45.660 --> 00:07:49.259 himself. And yet, I dare to walk into church 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:52.660 on Sunday and receive his body and blood into 00:07:52.660 --> 00:07:57.339 my home, into my own body, into my soul. When 00:07:57.339 --> 00:08:00.360 I do that, the only thing that awaits me, as 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:04.040 Jesus says, is outer darkness, where there will 00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:08.519 be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now, This outer 00:08:08.519 --> 00:08:11.040 darkness, brothers and sisters, this is not a 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:14.040 place prepared for people who don't already know 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:17.360 Christ, who don't know his gospel, his commandments, 00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:20.459 who haven't received the mysteries of baptism, 00:08:20.759 --> 00:08:24.819 chrismation, the Eucharist, confession. It's 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:27.680 for us, who have received the fullness of the 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:30.439 truth, yet do nothing with these great gifts. 00:08:31.019 --> 00:08:35.240 You see, if I'm not using God's gifts to heal 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:38.409 his broken world, and to make it more and more 00:08:38.409 --> 00:08:40.730 like the kingdom of heaven each and every day, 00:08:40.870 --> 00:08:45.330 if I'm not moved by my faith to action, then 00:08:45.330 --> 00:08:47.789 my soul is no better off than that centurion's 00:08:47.789 --> 00:08:52.409 servant, paralyzed and greatly afflicted. But 00:08:52.409 --> 00:08:55.909 today, when Christ marvels at that centurion, 00:08:55.990 --> 00:09:00.129 he's calling us to marvel with him, because he's 00:09:00.129 --> 00:09:02.509 pointing out that centurion as a standard for 00:09:02.509 --> 00:09:06.179 us to emulate in his words. his deeds and disposition 00:09:06.179 --> 00:09:10.720 towards Christ. And it is this disposition of 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:14.460 humility that God wants for us. As we pray so 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:18.139 often, a sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit, 00:09:18.299 --> 00:09:20.820 a heart that is broken and humbled. God will 00:09:20.820 --> 00:09:25.279 not despise. It is this disposition of humility 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:28.120 that has granted Gentiles like this centurion 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:30.740 the reward of sitting at table with Abraham, 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:36.240 Isaac, and Jacob in heaven. So let us also be 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:40.080 among them. In just a little while, when the 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:43.360 holy chalice comes out of the altar, come forward 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:47.840 boldly to meet Christ like the centurion, with 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:50.879 profound awareness of your unworthiness, but 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:55.379 with firm faith in the goodness, the love, and 00:09:55.379 --> 00:09:57.940 the power of Christ, which makes you worthy to 00:09:57.940 --> 00:10:02.059 receive him. And make the centurion's words your 00:10:02.059 --> 00:10:05.519 own words. I am not sufficient, O Lord, that 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:08.200 you should come under the roof of my soul, but 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:13.299 with trust I draw nigh. And then, and only then, 00:10:13.399 --> 00:10:16.080 will the amazing and wonderful gifts that God 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:18.779 has given us abundantly manifest in our lives. 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:23.639 And perhaps then, God will also marvel at us. 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:26.320 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:28.980 of the Holy Spirit. Glory to Jesus Christ.