Daily Reflection
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Reflection for December 1, 2025
A Faith That Astonishes Christ
This encounter, nestled within the early chapters of Matthew’s Gospel, is a profound mystery that cuts to the heart of what it means to believe. Here we see Jesus, the divine Word through whom all creation was spoken into being, standing face-to-face with a Roman centurion—a man representing the occupying military force, a Gentile, and thus, from a Jewish perspective, an outsider to the covenants of Israel.
Yet, it is this outsider who teaches us the interior posture of authentic faith. Consider the centurion’s virtues:
1. Humility that Breaks Barriers: His first act is not to demand, but to appeal. He, a man of power and prestige, approaches the itinerant Jewish preacher with respect: “Lord.” Then, he utters those immortal words: “I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.” He recognizes the sacredness in Christ. He understands his own spiritual poverty before the Holy One. This humility is not self-hatred; it is the honest recognition of truth—the truth of God’s majesty and our creaturely dependence. This humility dismantles the walls of ethnicity, status, and ritual purity that stood between them.
2. Faith That Sees Authority: The centurion’s faith is not a vague hope. It is a clear-eyed recognition of who Jesus is. He draws an analogy from his own life: he commands and is obeyed because he acts under the emperor’s authority. In Jesus, he perceives an infinitely greater authority—not just over soldiers, but over sickness, over the very fabric of physical reality. “Only say the word.” He believes that the creative, healing power of God is perfectly obedient to the will of Christ. He believes Jesus’s word is effective in itself, needing no ritual, no physical gesture, no presence at the bedside. This is faith in the sheer power of the Logos, the Word of God.
3. The Fruit of Faith: Compassion: What moves this soldier to such faith? It is not a personal need, but his love for his servant. His faith is active, rooted in charity. He intercedes for one beneath him in social standing, revealing that true authority is exercised in compassion and service. His faith is not for his own glory, but for the good of another.
And then comes the staggering reality: Jesus “was amazed.” The Greek word implies astonishment, wonder. The One who knows the hearts of all men finds in this Gentile centurion a faith so pure, so total, that it stands as a beacon. His declaration is a sobering judgment on the “children of the kingdom” who have become complacent, and a breathtaking promise that the kingdom’s banquet will be filled with souls from every corner of the earth who respond with such faith.
For Us Today:
Every time we approach the Eucharist, we echo the centurion’s words: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof…” We profess our humility and our need. But do we also share his faith in the power of the Word? Do we believe that the same Christ, who by a word healed the paralytic, now by His word transforms bread and wine into His very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity? Do we believe that His word, spoken in the absolution of confession, heals our paralyzed souls?
The centurion challenges us to move beyond a faith of habit and routine to a faith of astonished recognition—a faith that sees the absolute authority of Christ over every chaos, every sickness, and every sin in our lives and in our world. He calls us to a faith so confident that we can say in every storm, “Only say the word, and I shall be healed.”
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you were amazed by the faith of the centurion. Instill in our hearts that same humble, confident, and compassionate faith. Help us to truly believe that your word is power and life. When we feel unworthy, remind us that it is precisely this confession that opens the door to your healing grace. May we, from the east and the west, recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at your eternal banquet, rejoicing in the wonder of your saving word. Amen.