“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Mt 8:8

As we enter the first week of Advent, we are presented with a profound example of humility and faith in Christ’s authority. A Roman centurion seeks Jesus, pleading for his servant’s healing. Jesus obliges and offers to come and heal the servant, but the centurion responds with the very words we similarly echo every week at Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”

At this, Jesus is amazed, for among all the scribes and Pharisees who know the law of Moses by heart, it is the Roman centurion whose faith is most apparent. While Jesus was already intent on healing the servant, it is the centurion’s humility and acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is Lord that truly saves him and his servant.

This passage offers us more than an exemplar of humility; it highlights the power of intercessory prayer. It is never said if the servant himself is Jewish or a Christian (if such a title existed then), but it doesn’t matter to Jesus. By the faith of the centurion, the servant is interceded for and receives a healing grace. Sometimes it is by the faith of another that we receive the grace we need. In the same way, our prayers for others can invite grace into their lives, especially when they may not have the strength or faith to pray for themselves. “Catholic” is derived from the Greek katholikos, meaning “universal.” As members of this universal Church, we are called to pray for one another, bearing each other’s burdens before God, for a universal Church is nothing if it does not pray for each other.

You may very well find yourself in the position of the centurion. It may be your testament of faith or prayer of petition that truly impacts someone in their darkest hour. The faith of the servant isn’t identified because it doesn’t matter in this case. The hagiography of the Church reminds us of this itself: it was Saint Monica’s piety, devotion, and unyielding hope that led her debauched son Augustine to Christ, transforming him from a life of sin into a saint and one of the greatest doctors of the Church.

The message of this Gospel passage is so lovingly simple. Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, who died for you and for many, and pray. Pray not just for yourself, but especially for those in most need of His mercy. Pray, baby, pray.

All you holy men and women, Pray for us.