Gospel (Mt 8.5-11) - At that time, when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to meet him, begging him and saying: "Lord, my servant is at home, in bed, paralyzed and suffering terribly." He said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion replied: «Lord, I am not worthy of you coming under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed. Even though I am also a subordinate, I have soldiers under me and I say to one: «Go! », and he goes; and to another: «Come! », and he comes; and to my servant: «Do this! », and he does it». Listening to him, Jesus was amazed and said to those who followed him: «Truly I tell you, in Israel I have not found anyone with such great faith! Now I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and will sit at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

This centurion who leaves the house to go to Jesus and invoke healing we could say that he is a man of Advent. He does not resign himself to the illness of his servant. He was not a believing Jew, and what's more he was a military occupier. More than enough reasons not to turn to a Jewish teacher and ask him for help. But the strong concern for that sick servant pushes him to go out and go to Jesus. He knew that Jesus is a good man. And that it was enough to put a little of your heart in those hands and it would be answered. Jesus reads that concern and is also moved. And he goes beyond the centurion's request: he will go to his house to heal the servant. That centurion understands that he is faced with an extraordinary man and understands his poverty and his littleness. He insists that it is not worthy of Jesus to come to him. Perhaps he knew that going to the homes of pagans for Jews could constitute religious contamination and he did not want to put Jesus in difficulty. However, he does not doubt the goodness of the Lord and here he pronounces those splendid words that the liturgy continues to place on our lips: «Lord, I am not worthy of you coming under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed. ». Jesus praises their extraordinary faith. He is a pagan, yet he has great faith. Faith, in fact, is not belonging to a group but adherence of the heart to Jesus. Faith is believing that the words of Jesus change lives and hearts. The sick servant was healed "in that instant", notes the evangelist as if to show the immediate effects of the power of Jesus' word. If we read this evangelical page carefully we see that the centurion was also healed: in the encounter with Jesus he discovered of being unworthy, but he entrusted himself to Jesus and his love.