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Be healed
The words of the centurion from today’s gospel story are echoed in every Mass … “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
(Luke 7:6-7; also Matthew 8:8)
One Sunday morning, however, I heard these familiar words in an altogether new and shocking way. During the mass, it came time for the assembly’s response to the presider’s words, “happy are we who are called to this banquet.” I responded with the rest of the community, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed.” As I said these words, my mind filled with images from the gospel story of the centurion who sought out Jesus to ask him to heal his faithful servant who was at home “ill and about to die.” When Jesus heard this he prepared to go at once, but the centurion said, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof … but say the word and let my servant be healed.”
These were the words that we were now saying, and I prayed for the humility and the faith of the centurion. I was feeling pretty miserable that day and not worthy of much of anything. As the community finished the response, a most unusual thing happened. There was a split second silence, and then the words “BE HEALED” rang through the church. I wondered if what I heard was the voice of God. It sounded like an old woman’s voice – crackling and somewhat shrill. It wasn’t probably so different from the disciples’ experiences of the heavens splitting open and the voice of God issuing forth.
And then I saw her, not God, but an elderly woman leaning precariously over the front pew, her hand gripping a cane. I had seen her before and knew that she was hard of hearing and seeing. Throughout the mass, this woman was always out of sync with the songs and responses. By the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, I had all but forgotten the constant echo. But it was she who had uttered the words “Be healed.” Because she was just a few seconds behind the rest of the assembly, we only caught the last two words of her sentence, “… but only the say the word and I shall BE HEALED.”
For me, the voice of God was very much revealed through this woman. These last two words became for me the beginning of a profound understanding of myself and God. I just utter the words out “I am unworthy to receive you” and without missing a beat, God answers, “Be healed.”
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Whoa! That is a wonderful thing to hear – and isn’t it amazing how God breaks through into our ordinary lives in such strange and unusual ways? And I love that it was unintentional – a Word of Prophecy – not from some self-appointed prophet, but from an ordinary old woman who is out of synch. That makes it much more powerful and real to me than if it were a leader in the parish or some sage saying it. “God writes straight with crooked lines,” they say.
Makes me realize that God is speaking in so many hidden ways – and we miss what God is saying much of the time because we are not attentive to the fact that we do live in mystery and that the ordinary is a mere cloak for supernatural realities.
Our presider had an interesting insight this morning. Jesus was willing to go to this Gentile’s home, making him ritually impure. The Centurion would not let Jesus risk that. THAT’S why he only asked for Jesus to give the word of healing from a distance. The Centurion was asking for a favor, but also showing respect for Jesus.
Franciscan trivia: The Centurion shows up on the San Damiano cross. He is the figure on Jesus’s far left. Over the Centurion’s shoulder is the head of his servant (In John’s Gospel, it’s the man’s son). Above the servant’s head is stack of foreheads because “he [the Centurion] and his whole household came to believe.”
Thanks for sharing this “A-Ha” moment Julie. I simply LOVE these times and hearing about them.
This is a truly lovely story.
And I agree with Marsha West, the old woman was not self appointed but one member of the large community. It does make it so much more special when it comes from another innocent person rather then preplanned.