YEAR B: HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (1)
Centurion pleas for his servant Matthew 8:5-10
YEAR B: HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: THE FAITH OF THE CENTURION
BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon
(Mt. 8:5-17) Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
In the day’s Gospel we have the encounter of Jesus with the centurion, a supposed unbeliever, who pleaded for the healing of his servant.
When Jesus told the centurion He would come with him to his house, the centurion told Jesus He need not go but only say the word and he believes his servant will be healed. Jesus was amazed at the faith of the centurion and added that He had not seen such faith in Israel whose people had been gifted first with salvation! This profession of faith by the centurion is so meaningful and faith-full that the Church used it in response to the Agnus Dei before taking communion. It is an expression of humility and faith. These are the two attitudes we should have before receiving the Lord in communion. These are the same attitudes we must have in our daily life where we receive everything from God.
Our unworthiness before God is glaring. God created everything and He is, therefore, the owner of everything. We are merely stewards. We owe to God our position, our life, and our sustenance. Everyday, as we wake up, we should utter thanksgiving for God continues to be generous to us.
Our faith in God keeps us hoping clinging to the challenges of life. The centurion, who must have loved his servant so much, went desperate by approaching Jesus. He mustered that iota of hope he had for the sake of his servant. He did everything so his servant will be healed. Hope was his response to a desperate situation. When we come before God not only in communion but in our daily encounters with Him. Do we exhibit the kind of faith and humility of the centurion?
