"Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed."(Matthew 8:8)

"Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed."(Matthew 8:8)
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The words of the Centurion addressed to Jesus reveal us six facts.

1. He requested Jesus to cure his servant.

2. He had a strong faith in Jesus.

3. He loved his neighbour.

4. He loved his neighbour who was bellow his social status.

5. He was humble.

6. He was not an Israelite, but a Roman.

It is not enough that we simply read the Bible just as we read a story book.

Each and every event mentioned in it has a message to be delivered to us.

The message is not like a WhatsApp message just to be  read and passed over.

It is a life giving message, essential for our spiritual life.

The New Testament is not merely Jesus' life history  but rather a life giving history.

Each and every verse is full life to be transferred to the readers.

The miracle of Jesus curing the Centurion's servant has a lot to teach us.

Jesus did some miracles unasked by anybody,  some being asked.

It depends upon His will.

He does not forbid anybody to ask for His help.

It was He who said, "Ask, it shall be given."

The Centurion prayed to Jesus to cure his servant.

What is important here is that he had faith in Jesus and it was strong.

He strongly believed that Jesus could cure his servant by a single word. 

It was his faith that pleased Jesus very much.

No doubt, we too have faith, but  not so strong as Jesus wants it to be.

If Saints like St. Antony worked wonders it was due to their strong faith.

Another message conveyed to us is that we should love our neighbours.

The Centurion loved his servant.

We love our family members, no doubt,  but do we love our servants, as the Centurion did?

Our love should not be selective, but inclusive of all
created by our Heavenly Father.

From the point of view of the world there may be people below or above our social status, but from the point of view of God all are our brothers and sisters.

Mostly we pray for our own welfare; let us learn from the Centurion to pray for our neighbours also.

By praying for our neighbours we obey Jesus' commandment to love our neighbours as we love ourselves.

We will be doubly blessed for our obedience and love.

The words of the  Centurion reveal his humility.

Being  the commander of a century in the ancient Roman army, the  Centurion had a high social position.

His servant was a slave.

He was humble enough to accept a slave as a lovable neighbour.

Moreover, he was so humble that he considered himself unfit to receive God in his house.

He humbled himself before the almighty power of Jesus ; so he accepted that a single word from Him could cure his servant.

Let us meditate to find out how humble we are before Jesus.

The Centurion was a Roman.

Though Jesus is an Israelite by his human birth, He is God, the Creator of the whole human race.

He became Man to redeem all the human beings.

Than is why He sent His  Apostles to all nations to spread His Gospel.

We must remember that as the disciples of Jesus we are duty bound to spread His word throughout the world by our word of mouth and life.

We must be Christ bearers and everyone whom we come across must see Christ in us.

No one has any right or power to prevent us from spreading Christianity.

The Centurion is a model for our faith.

Our faith must be strong enough to allow Jesus to do miracles  in us and through us.

Lourdu Selvam,