Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.
The centurion was an agent of the Foreign Occupation. The Greek word used for servant can also mean son or boy. Each translation carries its own connotations.
At Jesus’ suggestion of hospitality, the centurion, while pleased at the offer, seemed to have declined the offer. He believed in the power of the word, especially of the Word-made-flesh before him. He answered, as if to say, “You are welcome to come, but you do not have to, you can heal just by saying the word, [and besides my house is a mess.]” It was not out of any fear or feeling of shame that he suggested the Lord need not come. Rather, it was a belief in the power of Jesus to heal and save even from a distance.
We use the centurion’s words at Mass before Communion. We use them, not as a sign of our complete unworthiness, but as a sign of faith. What Jesus did for the centurion with a word, he will do for us with a word, and the Word-made-flesh is the word that heals.
The centurion, a foreigner and part of the Foreign Occupation, and a pagan, showed greater faith than the hometown, native Temple-going Jewish person, like me.
Now we stand before the Lord after hearing the story of the centurion. It is Advent and we expect the Lord to come. How will we welcome him? What hospitality do we have for him? What healing do we need. The Lord is ready to say, “I will come and cure him.”