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| A small confessional in St. Pius X Chapel, Pontifical College Josephinum. The Word upon the cross is proclaimed here often. |
"For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go," and he goes, and to another, "'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." -Matthew 8:9
The faithful Centurion who spoke these words understood something very obvious about Jesus: God's word is final. What God says, goes.
This should be obvious to most simply when you hear the name, "God." God is all powerful, speaking the world into being. He is in control over all creation, omnipotent over all things.
However, though this concept is easy to grasp, it is surprisingly difficult to live out. Sin is a denial of the omnipotence of God, that denial that God loves us infinitely and takes care of us completely. When we sin, we take a command that God alone is able to proclaim-- what is good and what is evil-- and make it our own, believing that we should be the ones to exercise that power. As we saw in the beginning of humanity, our sins deny the highest power of God's commands, even when we know how wrong this is and fear the truth. We are nothing compared to God's infinite power, naked when faced with His final truth.
"And [Adam] said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.' [God] said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?'" -Genesis 3:11-12
Our repeated failure to accept the total power of God meant that we were never able to live out the commands and laws He laid out for our good. When God came to the Israelites to first give His commandments, only Moses was able to listen to God's voice without fear, because the people were filled with sin-- and knew it. God gave them His almighty voice that they might follow it faithfully and sin no more, but the people were so ashamed that they could not trust in the Lord's all-powerful mercy.
"Now when all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off, and said to Moses, 'You speak to us, and we will hear, but let not God speak to us, lest we die.' And Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that the fear of Him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin.'" -Exodus 20:18-20
God's word was so beyond our abilities that we, in our sin, had no hope of submitting and relying on His protection, His salvation.
Until...
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten Son from the Father... And from His fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." -John 1:14, 16-17
It is by the grace and truth of the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, that we can be reconciled to the all-powerful Father. For, as professed by the Centurion, Jesus is the source of all authority; He is all-powerful, the command of God walking upon Earth. However, Jesus is also the source of all mercy; in His total power, Jesus commands the good for His people, bringing us face-to-face with the all-loving mercy of the Father who desires to pour out infinite grace upon us.
The Centurion understands the omnipotent love of God for Him, even in the face of His sin. So with fear, but without shame, He beseeches God:
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed." -Matthew 8:8
This is the metric of the love of God- the perspective by which we measure God's justice and His mercy. We deeply know our sin, we fully acknowledge it merits only death. We know that God's justice mandates that it be rightfully so. But we also know that God's mercy calls for our salvation by whatever means necessary, and so by sending His own son to die in our place, we truly have every grace to come back to life. The Word has condemned us to death, but the Word has died for us, so the word has proclaimed us to be free.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." -Romans 8:1-4
Our Lady, the bearer of the Word made flesh, did not only bear Him physically, but spiritually, with Her whole soul. She accepted the Word at the Annunciation, trusting that all would be well in the plan of God, for God is completely in control.
"And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' -Luke 1:38
Mary accepted the Word in Her Magnificat, joyfully proclaiming how the Lord had taken Her, even in Her lowliness, and brought Her merciful salvation through His Word:
"And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden... His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation... He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.'" Luke 1:46-48, 50, 54-55
The all-powerful Word of God, Jesus Christ, has freed us in His mercy. His justice is final, and so is His mercy-- so in His sacrifice, He has decidedly proclaimed freedom for us. Together with Our Lady, let us trust in His freedom forever. Let us pray for ourselves and for all, that all may joyfully live in the firm mercy of the almighty Father.
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