Search
Eucharist in the Time of Corona
-
November 24, 2021“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” (Mt 8:8)This line from today’s Gospel for the first Monday of Advent invites us to reflect on the power of the word and the authority invested in Jesus. In our age, overwhelmed by volumes and sound bytes, words seem to have lost their impact. But here in this story in Matthew’s Gospel, a man who, subject to commanders and emperors, knows what a word can accomplish intercedes with the Word. He pleas for healing – not for himself, but for another. The centurion’s faith in the power of Jesus’s word leaves Jesus amazed.In somewhat modified form, the centurion’s confident prayer finds a place in our celebration of the Eucharist right before we receive Communion. The liturgy invites us to acknowledge that we are not – no one of us – worthy to enter into communion with the Lord of the universe. This is not false humility; this is the truth. Yet like the soldier, we speak with the conviction that comes from faith: the power of the Word heals, and we need healing. We come to Jesus because in many ways we are broken, and we believe that the Word offers fullness of life.Long months of anxiety, courtesy of COVID-19, have brought many of us to our knees, pleading for healing for loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, people across the globe. The words of our liturgy, however, remind us that beyond the healing from physical illness, our inner self longs to be restored to wholeness. As we approach the Lord’s table, with faith in our hearts we pray, “only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”