“Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.
Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”
I find that the beauty of our faith is the fact that there are so many mysteries to be discovered. As I continue my faith journey through the Church, this community and even through teaching Catechism, I find myself learning more and being amazed at the richness of our faith. One such example is the prayer (above) that we say prior to receiving the Eucharist. I never stopped to think about the origin of these words until I was preparing a lesson for Catechism class on the miracles of Jesus.
5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” 8 The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” 10 When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.
– Matthew 8:5-13
The Roman centurion had so much faith and trust in Jesus that he didn’t need to see his servant healed in order to believe. It is the centurion’s incredible trust in Jesus’ power to heal that we remember everytime we are about to receive the Eucharist.
I always feel so moved reciting this prayer because I know there are times when I am definitely not worthy to receive Christ and it’s through these words I realize how much I’ve fallen away, yet He still allows Himself to be available to me. Now I know that it’s up to me to have faith and believe in Christ’s healing power like the centurion. By saying these words, I am allowing His Divine Mercy to wash over my soul.
Jesus, Fountain of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, I trust in You.