Readings:
1 Corinthians 11: 17-26, 33
Luke 7:1-10
Reflection:
Reading the gospel today, the powerful words of faith by the centurion are echoed at every Mass before communion as the congregation prayers together,
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”
Often, I hear our congregation recite these words not in harmony like the ‘Our Father’, rather with a whisper, an almost hesitation that we have to vocalise these words in public.
Often, I notice a chill within me, an invitation to proclaim our faith, to stand up and say yes, Lord, here I am and collectively, we respond with whispers! I sometimes take a sneak peek looking in and wonder if anyone else is perplexed like me. I see everyone kneeling, heads down, keeping their eyes fixed on the dusty floor boards, as if they are trapped by an illusion, we are sinful or shameful people, so unworthy that we could not possibly look up or ask Jesus to come, heal us!
I wonder if there is a collective sense of embarrassment… after all we have just been invited to look!! The priest announcing, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world, blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”
I see these words as a calling, to each of us, an alarm, calling us to wake up. (Hopefully not from actual sleep yet from spiritual sleepiness). An awareness of the unparalleled miracle that we are invited to take part in. Behold! Look, not just with our eyes yet with our hearts, we are witnessing a sacrament in which not everyone is blessed to participate. We are called by God himself to gather around his table.
This time is created, by which each individual is invited to vocalise for themselves the intentionality of their own participation. It is not a passive experience, however a calling… “Lord, only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”
When we hear these words, truly hear in the deepest crest of our heart, it is only then by a word, a healing look that we are made whole. Our delight is that we do not need to do anything to deserve the saving love of Christ. Dwell in this – we do not need to do anything!!
Next time you are sitting or kneeling during the Eucharistic prayer, remember to look up from the ground, look at the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice. Embody your faith, voice with certainty that yes Lord, my soul is healed because you came under my roof.
May our strength and hope come from God’s mercy even when we feel unworthy. May we be reminded of his physical presence in the people who enter under our roofs today, and be filled with a sense of awe and wonder that our God knows what it is to be human.
Sr Karen Englebretsen CP, Cross and Passion Sisters. blessed to be a spiritual care worker in the homeless sector in Melbourne.