“Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Luke 7:6-7
The silence and solitude of my home was interrupted one afternoon by the sound of a horse coming up the hill. I must say that I became scared because usually only soldiers rode horses. The Roman soldiers were known to come into towns, abuse women and kill people simply for their pleasure.
I looked through my window, and sure enough, it was a Roman soldier accompanied by his servants. He jumped off his horse, and he walked to my door. He knocked and said: “I am looking for Jesus’ mother. Do not be afraid, I come in peace.”
I opened the door slowly. When he saw me, he said: “Are you Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth?”
“Yes I am.”
“My name is Marcus. I’m a centurion in Capernaum, and a friend of the Jews. I built them a synagogue over there. I was passing by and I wanted to meet the mother of the Messiah.”
“How is my Son doing?”
“I would like to tell you a story.”
“Please come in. Would you like some freshly baked bread?”
He sat in the kitchen, and I served him some bread and some wine.
I sat at the table, and I listened to his story:
“One of my slaves, highly regarded by me, was sick and about to die. When I heard about Jesus and all the miracles that He was performing, I sent some of the Jewish elders to speak to Him on my behalf. When Jesus was close to my house, I did not feel worthy that He would enter under my roof, so I sent word to Him through some of my servants. I asked them to tell Him that I was not worthy to come near Him, but that I knew that all He had to do was say a word and my slave would be healed.”
The centurion removed his helmet. His hair was silver and his eyes looked at me like those of a little boy asking for a sip of water. “Jesus said that the reason why my slave was healed was because of my great faith. I have never had the courage to seek Him and ask Him about my doubts. That is why today I have come to you, His Mother. Please tell me, Mary, what mysterious force cured my slave? You carried Him in your womb, so you must know His secret.”
I looked at him with all the sweetness that I carried within me, and I shared my secret with him. There is only one secret. The one that I have guarded in silence all these years. The one I learned next to Jesus since the day that the angel appeared to me all those years ago.
“My son,” I told him, “Jesus was not the one that cured your slave. It was your faith the one that saved your slave. My Son never says, ‘I have saved you.’ He always says: ‘Your faith has saved you.’ It is that faith that moves mountains. It is that faith that gives light to the blind. It is that faith that brings hope to the poor. I learned this since I was a little girl, and I opened myself to this light that was already within me, accepting God’s will as His handmaid, allowing His word to be made flesh within me. Faith is the strongest force and it is through faith that we obtain salvation.”
That big, tall centurion, knelt in front of me and He kissed my hands. And just like that, he left with tears in his eyes.
Reflection:
The centurion’s slave was saved because of the centurion’s faith. Have I ever experienced a miracle because I have prayed in faith? Do I have hope that the hardship that I am experiencing right now will be resolved because of my faith?
Copyright © 2020 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
Resources from the following books are being used on this journey:
1. The Mystical City of God: A Popular Abridgement of the Divine History and Live of the Virgin Mother of God by Venerable Mary of
Agreda
2. The World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God by Fulton J. Sheen
3. Las Palabras Calladas: Diario de Maria de Nazaret by Pedro Miguel Lamet
4. My Soul Magnifies the Lord: A Scriptural Journey with Mary by Jeanne Kun
All Bible references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise specified.
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