[Message from our Executive Director, Daniel Wasserman-Soler]
Dear friends of the Lumen Christi Institute,
On Memorial Day, we celebrate the humility of our soldiers, who gave their lives for a greater cause: their country. Today, I am reminded of a military officer whom Jesus knew, the Roman centurion in chapter 8 of Matthew’s gospel. Jesus offered to come to the centurion’s home and cure his servant, and the centurion responds with humility: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.”
St. Augustine (d. 430) reflected at length on the story of the Roman centurion:
We have heard, as the Gospel was being read, the praise of our faith as manifested in humility. For when the Lord Jesus promised that He would go to the Centurion’s house to heal His servant, He answered, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof: but speak the word only, and he shall be healed. By calling himself unworthy, he showed himself worthy for Christ to come not into his house, but into his heart. Nor would he have said this with so great faith and humility, had he not borne Him in his heart, of whose coming into his house he was afraid.
St. Augustine reveals to us why the centurion acted with “great faith and humility”: because he carried Jesus in his heart. The centurion called himself unworthy and therefore, “he showed himself worthy for Christ.” You can read the rest of St. Augustine’s reflection here.
On a final note, just a few days ago — on May 23 — the Church remembered the death of an American military chaplain, Fr. Emil Kapaun, who served selflessly during the Korean War. Pope Francis declared Fr. Kapaun venerable earlier this year, in February. You can learn more about his inspiring story here.
Yours in Christ,
Daniel Wasserman-Soler
Executive Director
Lumen Christi Institute
P.S. Your gift by June 30th will help plan even more programs that will reintroduce the wisdom of the faith to the secular university in the coming academic year–thank you!