Enter Under My Roof

Under the new translation of the Mass, every week just before Communion Catholics repeat, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” Where does this awkward phrase come from and what does it mean?

It comes from Luke, Chapter 7 and the account of Jesus healing the slave of a Centurion.

The first, thing to notice about this scene is that this scene plays out in Capernaum. While Jesus is most commonly associated with places like Nazareth, Bethlehem, Galilee and Jerusalem, much of his most important and memorable events take place in Capernaum.

Second, the Centurion is obviously well liked and respected by the Jewish people. They are willingly go and petition Jesus for him. Given what we know of the usual poor relations between Jews and Gentiles this is rather surprising. It’s clear that at least in Capernaum relations between the two groups were better than in the rest of Israel. One has to wonder if this was at least in part because of Jesus’ repeated presence in the area. What’s also interesting is the Jews seem to be confident in the fact that Jesus can in fact heal the slave. Unlike his home town of Nazareth, where he was rejected and could do no miracle,s the people of Capernaum seem to have accepted Jesus as at least a prophet with a gift of healing.

Further, the Jews ask Jesus to grant the Centurion’s wish because,

4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue."

Luke 7:3-5

Notice, the Jews petition Jesus to heal the slave based on the good works of the Centurion! It’s important to emphasize a few details here. The petition is not based on works of the Mosaic Law. The Centurion is a gentile and not bound by the Mosaic Law. Also, notice it is the works of another, the Centurion, which is the basis for healing a second person, the slave. Stated conversely, it is not the works of the slave that are referenced for his healing. The slave has done nothing, but the good works of the Centurion are the basis of his petition for the healing of the slave. Putting aside the question of the relationship of faith and works (which is a huge can of worms we don't need to open) what this shows is that we are not in a “me and Jesus” world. We are in a world where our petitions can help others.

While Jesus is in route to the home of the Centurion, he is intercepted by emissaries. What they say to Jesus is important:

"Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.

Luke 7:6-7

The Centurion does not consider himself worthy to be in the presence of Jesus, much less for Jesus to enter his home. This is the great faith and humility that Jesus “marvels” at and ultimately rewards. The Centurion intuitively understands who Jesus is and their respective ranks. This is why the Centurion's emissaries speak of authority. The Centurion has authority but it is nothing compared to the authority and honor of Jesus. Often we hear talk of a “personal relationship” with the Lord. No doubt, God became incarnate to make a personal relationship with him possible. However, there is another side to that coin. In some ways, our personal relationship with Jesus must be one where we understand, with the greatest humility possible,, just who we are in relationship with. To the extent a personal relationship is possible, it is because God comes down to our level and makes himself available to us. Our personal relationship must be one that we approach Him with great humility. That is why, for Catholics, this verse from Luke is one of the most quoted lines in the Bible. Every Sunday before Catholics go up to Communion we repeat a paraphrased quote of the Centurion, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”