The Mountain of Faith

Isa 2:1-5; Psalm: 121; Mt 8:5-11

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, on this Advent journey, the Word of God presents us with a breathtaking vision of our ultimate destiny and reveals the surprising key that unlocks its gates. We are shown the glory of the heavenly Jerusalem and the humble, earth-shattering faith that gains us entry.

The Prophet Isaiah lifts our eyes to the “days to come,” painting a majestic portrait of the Lord’s house established as the highest mountain. This is no exclusive fortress, but a universal magnet for all nations who stream toward it, eager to learn God’s ways and walk in His paths. This is the vision of the Kingdom of God in its fullness—a world where swords are beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, a world reconciled and at peace under the gentle rule of the Prince of Peace. The Church is the pilgrim people journeying toward that mountain, and our Advent longing is for the complete realization of this promise.

But how do we, with our weaknesses and divisions, reach this holy summit? The Gospel provides the stunning answer in the person of a Roman centurion. This man, an outsider to the covenant, a soldier of the occupying force, approaches Jesus with a humility that disarms. He does not demand, but pleads: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” When Jesus offers to come to his house, the centurion responds with words that have echoed in the heart of the Church for two millennia: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”

In this moment, the centurion demonstrates the very faith that the new covenant requires. He understands authority, and he perceives in Jesus a divine authority that transcends space and time. He believes that a single word from the Word-made-flesh can accomplish what all the world’s efforts cannot. Jesus is “astounded” and proclaims, “In no one in Israel have I found such faith.” The centurion’s faith, not his ethnicity or social standing, is what qualifies him to recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven. He is the firstfruits of the nations streaming toward Isaiah’s mountain.

This is the beautiful, challenging truth of our Catholic faith. The path to the mountain of the Lord is paved with humble, trusting faith. As Pope Francis reminds us, “Faith opens a ‘window’ to the presence and action of the Spirit.” The centurion shows us that true faith is not a vague feeling, but a confident trust in the person and power of Jesus Christ.

The comfort for us is immense. We do not need to be spiritually perfect or theologically sophisticated to approach the Lord. We need only the centurion’s humility and trust. The challenge is to make his prayer our own, especially before Holy Communion: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.”

Let us, then, go forth from this place with the centurion’s faith. Let us believe that Christ’s word has the power to heal our deepest paralysis and to draw us, with all the nations, to the eternal peace of His Kingdom. Amen.