The humble words of the pagan soldier have passed to the lips of the Catholic priest.
These words of the centurion are filled with such humility and faith that Our Holy Mother Church has adapted them for our use in every Mass. Scarcely is there a true Catholic who has not heard these words, repeated them and hopefully even made them his own.
Before we receive Our Lord in Holy Communion we express our humble unworthiness and our strong faith in Christ with these words. We strike our breasts which is symbolically the seat of all our evils _ the soil where the sins germinate. In doing this we are reminded of how unclean our hearts are, and how unprepared we are for this wonderful gift of Our Lord coming to us.
This centurion (commander of one hundred men), was not an Israelite, but was very well disposed to the true faith. He even contributed to the building of a synagogue in Capharnaum.
This Centurion now had a servant that had been sick with paralysis. He heard of the miracles of Jesus, and realizing his own unworthiness he enlisted the help of some friends to ask Our Lord to visit the sick servant. After the friends had departed he realized how inappropriate it will look. It will appear that he has sent a summons for Jesus to come to him. He immediately regrets this course of action and goes himself to Jesus. There before Our Lord he professes his unworthiness.
"Lord, I am not worhty …"
The soldier knows what discipline is: he takes orders and gives them, and obedience is unquestioned (He is a man under authority, one used to the atmosphere of military discipline.) So he says to our Lord:
"Only say the word and my servant shall be healed …"
This simple and strong faith made Jesus marvel. As man, our Lord was capable of wonder: although, nothing was hidden from Christ yet a thing could come freshly to His experiential human knowledge, and so produce wonder. Israelites had shown their faith in Him but the centurion's quiet conviction of His power to heal at a distance was a new experience.
This healing at a distance is something that true Catholics today must once again convince themselves of. We live in a time in history where once Catholic Churches are now in the hands of heretics; Men present themselves as priests but are not truly priests because of the invalidity of the modernist rite of ordination; Many "traditionalists" refuse to obey or follow any order. So consequently, receiving the true (valid and fruitful) sacraments has become a luxury for a very few. Many are separated by great distances from the Sacraments.
We now need the faith of this centurion. We must say with him: "… only say the word and my soul will be healed." We must learn to unite ourselves in spirit with the true Mass where it is offered even if we cannot physically be present. (Just as the words of the morning offering suggest.) We must believe that the true priest (another Christ) can give us absolution even from a distance. (Only say the word and my soul will be healed.) We must make spiritual Communions knowing full well that there are many graces in store for us if we are filled with a burning desire to receive. Our burning desire motivated by love and faith will draw down upon us many graces that we could not even begin to imagine.
With such faith and humility there will be those who will come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. They will hear the words of our Lord to the centurion: "Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee.