Which should all of us admire the most in the Centurion, his Humility, his Faith, or his Charity?  In only one sentence, the Centurion expresses the Virtues of Humility, Faith, and Charity.

Consider how the Centurion is a superior.  He holds a high office on the social scale. Despite this, he does not consider himself worthy to receive Christ into his home.

What timeless lesson is the Centurion giving us?  That all of us make a habit of thinking but little of ourselves.  Why?  Not only because the Virtue of Humility is the basis of all of the Virtues, both the Theological Virtues and the Moral Virtues, but also because “where Humility is, there also is Wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2) and, to refresh your memory, Wisdom is the greatest of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost!

Therefore, not only is a truly humble person also a wise person, a truly humble person does not get upset, does not feel grieved, and does not get offended when insulted, when outraged, or otherwise offended.  Rather, the Wisdom of a truly humble person looks upon insults, affronts, indignities, etc., as opportunities to grow even more in Humility and in Wisdom!

Think of how God gave most trees the ability to sink their roots deep into the soil so that when the strong winds buffet them they will not fall over and die as the result of shallow roots.  Humility and Wisdom help us to sink our Spiritual roots deep into the soil of the Spiritual Life so that when things happen to us which are disagreeable to human nature which has been wounded by Original Sin, we will not lash back with a river of negative four letter words but rather use such a situation as an opportunity to grow even stronger in Humility and Wisdom!

If the Centurion could do it - and he did do it - why can not we also do it?  So, as part of our Resolution, let each of us firmly resolve to imitate the example of the genuine Humility of the Centurion, a Humility which was not fake and phony!

The Centurion’s Faith believed Christ to be the Son of God.  This means that the Centurion believed that Christ had the power to heal his sick servant.  But the Faith of this pagan Roman Centurion was so strong that he even believed Christ could heal his sick servant, not only by Christ just saying His servant is healed, but also the Faith that Christ could do it right there and then on the spot, without even having to physically travel to his home where his sick servant was patiently waiting for help.

The Gospel records how the Centurion told Christ:

"I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and I say to this, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.  And Jesus hearing this, marvelled; and said to them that followed Him:  Amen I say to you, I have not found so great Faith in Israel" (Matthew 8:9-10).

Finally, the Centurion expresses the Virtue of Charity which all of us need to resolve to imitate by behaving towards those over whom God has given us charge, whether as Parents, as an employer, or in whatever other capacity, with kindness and concern for their welfare, not only their physical well-being, but also their spiritual well-being.  Consider how the Centurion did not send his servant away when he was sick and cause him inconvenience, but he kept him in his own home and provided for him what he needed in his illness, even going to Christ to seek a healing for his servant.

In conclusion, all of us are like the sick servant because all of us need to be healed - Spiritually - of all of our own Spiritual illnesses - not just our habits of sin, but also of our faults and imperfections, especially our primary fault(s).  But one must first become aware of what they are by the study of the Spiritual Life by reading books of solid Catholic Spirituality written by Saints of the Catholic Church whose Catholic orthodoxy can not be questioned.
 

An alternative is to read and to study at least a sythesis of the Spiritual Life which is correctly explained within the context of Catholic Traditinal Teachings as, for example, "The Three Ages of the Interior Life, Prelude of Eternal Life" by Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. [b. Auch, France 1877 A.D. - d. Rome, Italy, 1964 A.D.], who taught dogmatic and Spiritual theology for 53 years at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Angelicum, in Rome, Translated by Sister M. Timothea Doyle, O.P. This 2 volume set has been reprinted in paperback by TAN Books.

This is why our loving Lord instituted the Sacraments of Penance and of the Holy Eucharist - to heal us Spiritually.

This is also why Holy Mother Church puts in our minds, and in our hearts, these same words of the Centurion as We prepare to receive Holy Communion worthily, with Humility, Wisdom, Faith, and Charity, as the Mass Celebrant says:

Domine, non sum dignus....  (“O Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof:  but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.”)

In our resolutions for today, let us resolve to ask for the Graces each of us need every hour of every day to practice the Virtues of Humility, Faith, and Charity and the Gift of Wisdom.

The Virtue of Humility and the Gift of Wisdom help us to sink our Spiritual roots deep into the soil of the Spiritual Life so that when things happen to us which are disagreeable to human nature which has been wounded by Original Sin, we will not lash back with a river of negative four letter words but rather use such a situation as an opportunity to grow even stronger in Humility and Wisdom!  Let each of us resolve, right now, by the Grace of God, to take advantage of EVERY opportunity to practice the genuine - not a fake - Virtue of Humility.  If the Centurion could do it - and he did do it - why can not we also do it? 

So, as part of our Resolutions, let each of us firmly resolve to imitate the example of the genuine Humility of the Centurion, a Humility which was not fake and phony!

Because the Apostle reminds us how Faith “cometh by hearing” (Romans 10:17), as part of our Resolutions, let each of us firmly resolve to hear the Word of God with profit when the Epistle and Gospel is read at Mass and explained in the Sunday Sermon. 

Even though he was a pagan, this pagan Roman Centurion apparently had more faith in Jesus Christ in his day than do most Catholics in our day!  So let each of us resolve that, by the Grace of God, our own personal faith in Jesus Christ - the eternal Son of God - the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity - will far surpass the faith of that pagan Roman Centurion almost 2,000 years ago!

Let each of us also resolve to imitate the Virtue of Charity and the Gift of Wisdom to an even greater degree than that practiced by the pagan Roman Centurion in this age of gross selfishness and gross immorality where abortionists are in denial that they are baby-killers, where other types of hatred and Satanic violence has become the norm on most TV programs, most music CD's made for the younger generation, certain internet web sites, not to mention the escalation of hatred and Satanic violence on the streets of cities, large and small, throughout an America that now hates God - with God-haters in the U.S. Federal Reserve, on the U.S. Supreme Court, in some agencies of the White House, in the U.S. Senate, in the U.S. House of Representatives, in all branches of American government - executive, legislative, and judicial - and on all levels - federal, state, county, and local levels, not to mention the Satanic drive-by shootings and other rampages of murder, other blatant crimes of Satanic hatred, of anger, of Sataic violence which some TV programs now glorify and encourage, not to mention some internet web sites, and which evil, immoral, rampages of demons of pornography, murder, mayhem, and destruction of property will continue to escalate until not one person is safe in their own home, or school, or workplace, or even some "churches", thanks to the epidemic of Diabolical Possession, due in large part to the removal of the Exorcisms by man-made "churches" which have usurped and condemned the sanctity of the pre-Vatican 2 Catholic Traditional Rites for the Baptism of both Infants and Adults!!!

No wonder the horrors of Hell appear before one's eyes today everywhere one looks, from the Satanists and Pedophiles in these man-made "churches", to the legions of incarnate Devils which have invaded all levels of what used to be a God-fearing society, especially in the U.S.A. 

In our Charity, let us now resolve to pray for the real conversion of all of these evil people.

No wonder God is permitting America in particular, and the world in general, to be scourged by catastrophic storms and various parts of certain regions or parts of various countries around the world to be decimated by earthquakes, tidal waves, famine, etc.!!!

Also, resolve to far surpass the charity of the pagan Roman Centurion of almost 2,000 years ago and to do our part to reduce this epidemic of Satanism in all areas of society today by behaving towards those over whom God has given us charge, whether as Parents, or as an employer, or an employee, or as a Teacher, or as a student, or in whatever other capacity, with humility, with charity, with mercy, with kindness and with concern for their welfare, not only their physical well-being, but most especially for their Spiritual well-being.

Consider how the Centurion did not send his servant away when he was sick and cause him inconvenience, but he kept him in his own home and provided for him what he needed in his illness, even going to Christ to seek a healing for his servant.

Therefore,

Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good. (Romans 12:21).

Think how happy you will be when, in the next life, God shows you all of the Souls you helped to save by helping our Apostolates, including this Sermon web site, because "he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:20).

“And in doing good, let us not fail.  For in due time we shall reap, not failing. Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians  6:9-10).