By: Alex J. Nagem © April 25, 2025
” How many times have we Catholics spoken the following words: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed?” This prayer comes from the Bible verse Matthew 8:8, The Faith of the Centurion. 5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” 7 Jesus *said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. (NASB 1995)
These words reveal a deep acknowledgment of divine authority and a spirit of humility. The Centurion admits his unworthiness while demonstrating complete faith in Jesus’ ability to heal, even from a distance, trusting entirely in His word. This serves as a metaphor for spiritual healing—transformation and restoration don’t require Jesus’ physical presence, only sincere faith in His power and mercy.
It also anticipates the theological principle that God’s grace is not dependent on flawless rituals or perfect conditions. Instead, it is freely bestowed, reaching us even in our unworthiness when we respond with sincere faith and a willing heart open to His divine will. The words spoken here express a profound desire within the soul for communion with the Divine—a longing to be healed, embraced, and restored by the tender mercy of God. They express humility, trust, anda deep spiritual hunger for a sanctifying encounter with His grace. This plea arises not from a place of entitlement, but from a heart fully aware of its need, surrendering to the authority and compassion of the One who alone can save. In this, we see the essence of true faith: a disposition that opens the soul to receive God’s grace, not through merit, but through mercy.
The verse appears simple at first, yet the more one reflects on it, the more it unfolds into something vast and profound. It invites deep contemplation, revealing layers of meaning and a call to deeper spiritual understanding. But what if we were to say, Lord, I am worthy for You to come under my roof? In making such a declaration, we risk missing the essential humility that the Centurion so gracefully demonstrates. His acknowledgment of unworthiness is precisely what opens the door for Jesus to act, and through this humility that God’s grace flows freely.
To claim worthiness before God is to forget the fundamental truth that all we have is a gift of His grace. Grace refers to God’s free and unmerited favor. It is the idea that we don’t deserve God’s blessings, yet He gives them to us anyway because of His boundless love. When we assert that we deserve His presence, we shift the focus from God’s mercy to our own merit. This lessens the power of grace and also creates a distance between us and the transformation grace brings. True spiritual healing begins with the humble recognition of our unworthiness and the trust that, despite our flaws, God will meet us with mercy.
In a world that often promotes self-sufficiency, declaring I am worthycan seem empowering. Yet, spiritually, this mindset can be a barrier. The humility of I am unworthy allows space for God to act within us. Without this recognition, we risk relying on our own strength and understanding, rather than surrendering to the transformative power of divine grace. We all know what happens when we rely solely on our own strength and understanding—without God’s guidance, we often find ourselves lost, struggling, and disconnected from the deeper peace and purpose He offers.
St. Thomas Aquinas highlights the importance of recognizing our unworthiness before God. Admitting our unworthiness is essential for developing humility, which is necessary to receive God’s grace. He explains that, due to sin, we are naturally unworthy of God’s love and mercy. Yet, God freely gives us grace, which allows us to come to Him. Aquinas emphasizes that acknowledging our unworthiness doesn’t mean we deny our dignity as God’s creations. Rather, we recognize that everything we receive from God, salvation, grace, andthe sacraments, is a gift. They are not something we deserve based solely on our actions.
In his Summa Theologica, Aquinas explains the connection between grace and human merit. He teaches that while we can respond to God’s grace by doing good works, those works are only possible because of God’s grace. Therefore, we don’t earn merit through them. When we say, “Lord, I am not worthy,” we acknowledge our dependence on God’s mercy. This recognition is the right way to prepare ourselves to receive His gifts, particularly in the sacraments.
Aquinas also ties this humility to the Eucharist. Before receiving Christ in the Eucharist, we humbly acknowledge our unworthiness, much like the Centurion. This humility prepares our hearts to receive Christ’s transforming grace, a free and unearned gift.
In summary, for Aquinas, saying “Lord, I am not worthy” is not just an expression of low self-esteem, but a deep truth that puts us in the right position to receive God’s mercy and grace. It acknowledges our need for His help and prepares us for transformation through His loving grace.
One last thought for reflection, when the Centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant, could Jesus also see that there was a love between the Centurion and a fellow man? Did Jesus see the depth of feeling there?Jesus always saw people fully, past appearances, past social norms, and past roles. Whether it was paternal love, brotherly affection, or romantic devotion, Jesus honored the love, and he healed in response to it. In this light, the story becomes not just about power and faith, but about how Jesus responds to sincere, human compassion, however it expresses itself. Compassion for one another is the kingdom of God in action, is it not?
“God can only be found by the humble, the meek, and the small.” St. Augustine
You are remembered in my prayers, as I hope my family and I are remembered in yours.
Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus, Deus Aderit
Alex J. Nagem