As wonderful and amazing as the miracles are that Christ performed in today's Gospel, they seem to pale in comparison to the humility and faith expressed by the centurion. Even Christ tells us that He has not found such great faith in Israel. And Our Holy Mother the Church places these words on our lips at every Mass right before we receive Our Lord into our bodies in Holy Communion.
Though we are made in the image and likeness of God and raised to the state of innocence and justice through sanctifying grace, still we must strike our breasts and admit that we are not worthy. For how can a creature no matter how perfect ever be worthy to receive Our Lord? But, who of us can claim such perfection? And so we even more so must acknowledge that we are unworthy and adopt an even more humble attitude.
This infinite gulf between us and God can only be closed through the mercy of God and this mercy is brought about by profound humility.
Humility is truth. And it is very important that we understand this, because there is much false or apparent humility in the world.
Let us consider some very important truths today: Though we have been created in the image and likeness of God and have been destined by Him to enjoy an eternal happiness with Him in Heaven, we are not therefore gods and in truth there is an infinite distance between the Creator and the creature, no matter how perfect he may be.
Next let us consider the state of man since the first fall. When we fell from the state of grace we fell beneath our calling and dignity. We became less than we were. We became less human and more animalistic. But even this is not fair to the animals, because they follow their lives and duties faithfully. They live as God intended them to live. Man, therefore has placed himself far beneath the animals that obey God because man with that most precious gift of his free will has chosen to use his gift to rebel and disobey not only his Benefactor but his Creator as well.
This has become the state of soul of mankind since the fall of Adam. This is what our sins have done to us. And as long as we remain in sin, we are less than brute animals. And we read in the Psalms "I am a worm and no man". This is what our sins have done to us. This is the state of our souls while deprived of sanctifying grace.
And we see these very words attributed to Our Lord as He bore the sins of men in His suffering and death upon the Cross. As He took our sins upon Himself, He is more and more disfigured. He is treated less and less like a man. He is treated even worse than brute animals. And perhaps we even treat worms better than this today.
So, with the profoundest truth we can say in all humility that we are not true men and are therefore most unworthy that God should honour us with His graces, much less so with His very presence.
But, this in no way implies that we should deny the station in life that God has given us. Fathers, must live and act as fathers, and children must live and act as children. It is not truth to deny the graces, talents, and gifts that God has given us. This is false humility. We can still exercise the authority, talents and gifts that God has given us and remain humble.
And the profound humility in acknowledging our unworthiness does not lead us to despair but to greater hope. "Only say the word and my soul shall be healed". It is as easy as can be for God to say the word and lift us from the status of a worm to that of a true man. He can lift us from the terrible degradation that we have brought upon ourselves to the heights of union with Him. But if we refuse to acknowledge our lowliness and depravity, we will never ask to be healed. And if we never ask to be lifted out of our depraved condition we never will be lifted out. Ask and you will receive. The reason you have not received is that you have not asked. And perhaps the reason most have not asked is that they have never recognized or acknowledged the miserable state they are in.
Let us turn to the centurion in today's Gospel and learn true humility and faith so that we will not only repeat his words: "I am not worthy" but also that we may receive the consoling words from Our Lord's mouth: "as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee."
Church Unity Octave intention for today is Return to the Church of Lapsed Catholics.