The question was straightforward: why do Catholics say “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof” before Communion? Patrick Madrid explained that the line comes directly from the Gospel story of the Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. Though a pagan, the centurion recognized Christ’s authority and declared that Jesus didn’t need to enter his home—He could heal with a word. His humility and faith form the basis of the phrase we speak at every Mass.

Madrid noted that this moment in the liturgy expresses more than personal modesty. It is a communal admission of our own weakness, sinfulness, and dependence on God. As the priest stands at the altar in persona Christi, he acknowledges both his unworthiness and that of the people, offering the sacrifice Christ instituted at the Last Supper and fulfilled on the Cross.

The physical healings in Scripture—including the centurion’s servant and the lepers—symbolize a deeper reality: God’s willingness to heal the soul from the disease of sin. Madrid emphasized that while bodily ailments are serious, the spiritual wound of sin is far worse.
So when Catholics repeat the centurion’s words before Communion, they are invoking his faith, their own need for mercy, and the healing Christ offers through the Eucharist.

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