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<v SPEAKER_00>There's one sentence in today's gospel that has echoed through the church for two thousand years.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We hear it at every mass.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Those words come from a Roman centurion, a pagan, a soldier, not a rabbi, not a priest, not even one of the chosen people.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yet Jesus has something astonishing.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In no one in Israel have I found such faith.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Imagine hearing that.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Standing there are the scribes who have spent their entire lives studying scripture, the Pharisees who know every commandment, the religious leaders who can quote the law by heart.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And yet Jesus points to this Roman officer and says, This man, this one, understands faith better than all of you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>What made his faith so extraordinary?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, if you notice that he never says, Jesus, I know you can heal my servant.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Instead he explains why he knows.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He says, I too am a man under authority.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's an interesting phrase.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Why?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Because he doesn't say I am a man with authority.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He says, I am a man under authority.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He understood something profound.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The reason he processed authority was because he first submitted to authority.

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<v SPEAKER_00>A Roman centurion commanded roughly one hundred soldiers.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When he gave an order, everyone obeyed.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But those orders carried weight only because he himself was obedient to Caesar.

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<v SPEAKER_00>His authority flowed from the authority from above him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And then he looks at Jesus and he realizes something no one else seems to understand.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Jesus does not merely just perform miracles, Jesus speaks with the authority of God Himself.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The wind obeys him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Demons obey him, disease obeys him, death itself will obey him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So the centurion concludes, if sickness obeys your authority the way soldiers obey mine, then you don't even need to come to my house.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Just speak it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Only one word.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's remarkable faith.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I wonder if we have reduced faith to something much smaller.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Many people think faith means believing that God exists.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, even the demons believe God exists.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Faith is much more.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Faith means trusting God's authority over my life.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It means believing that when Christ speaks, he knows better than I do.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Even when I don't understand, even when his teaching is difficult, or even when it costs me something.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now, the first reading shows us what happens when that authority is rejected.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Again, we've been seeing that this week Jerusalem lies in ruins.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The temple has been destroyed.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Children are starving, families are devastated.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It is one of the saddest chapters.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Why?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Because for generations God's people listened to false prophets instead of the Lord.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Here from the first reading, it says, Your prophets had for you false and specious visions.

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<v SPEAKER_00>They did not lay bare your guilt.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In other words, they preached comforting words instead of truthful words.

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<v SPEAKER_00>They told the people what they wanted to hear instead of what they needed to hear.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That always ends in disaster.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The lesson is a relevant one for us today.

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<v SPEAKER_00>There are plenty of voices telling us to trust ourselves, to follow your heart, to create your own path, to you know truth, you can create your own truth.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Do whatever makes you happy.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, the problem is that our hearts can deceive us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Our culture changes every few years.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Public opinion rises and falls like the tide.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Only Christ remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's why we listen to him, not because his words are easy, but because his words are always true.

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<v SPEAKER_00>There's one final detail that I love.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Jesus says to the centurion, as you have believed, let it be done for you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Not as you have hoped or not as you have wished, but as you have believed.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Faith opens the door for God's power.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Every time every time we come to Mass, just before Holy Communion, we repeat the centurion's words.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Perhaps today we should slow down and say them with meaning.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Those words, may they never become routine.

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<v SPEAKER_00>May I may never pass over them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Because if we truly believe them, then we will we're saying something extraordinary.

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<v SPEAKER_00>What we're saying is, Lord, I trust your authority more than my own.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Speak your word, Lord.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Heal not only my body but my soul.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Order my life according to your wisdom, because I know that only your voice leads me to freedom.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's the faith that amazed Jesus, and that's the faith he's still looking for you today.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Amen.