Gospel in Art: Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof

Sense of Entitlement by Joanna Braithwaite, 2016 © Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 1 December 2025
Matthew 8:5-11

At that time: When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 'Lord, my servant is lying paralysed at home, suffering terribly.' And he said to him, 'I will come and heal him.' But the centurion replied, 'Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too 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 servant, "Do this", and he does it.' When Jesus heard this, he marvelled and said to those who followed him, 'Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.'

Reflection on the painting

What a striking display of faith by the Centurion. A non-Jew, a pagan, an outsider - and yet he is the one who speaks those disarmingly humble words: "I am not worthy." How counter-cultural these words sound in an age when the culture of entitlement reigns supreme. Entitlement says: I deserve… my way… my rights… my privileges. It places the self at the centre, as if the world must orbit around what I want and I feel I am owed.

But this is not unique to our century. Many in Jesus' own time believed they were entitled to God's favour simply because they belonged to a chosen people. The Pharisees and the Scribes often expected honour, status, and special seats at the table. The culture of entitlement is not a modern invention, it is as old as the human heart.

Today's Gospel directly confronts this. Each time we say at Mass, "Lord, I am not worthy," we are choosing to step out of that mindset. We are reminding ourselves that everything is gift, not entitlement. And when we see the world as gift, our hearts begin to shift from grasping... to receiving, from demanding... to gratitude.

Our artwork today, Sense of Entitlement by New Zealand artist Joanna Braithwaite, illustrates this powerfully. A bird stands inflated with self-importance, entitlement, puffed up beyond its true stature. Perched on its hat is a smaller bird, the size the same bird once was. The painting exposes how easy it is for pride to distort our self-image, convincing us that we deserve more, that we are owed something.

But today's Centurion reminds us that faith begins not with entitlement, but with humility, and with the trust that God gives us far more than we could ever claim to deserve. Perhaps the key lies in learning to discern between what we want and what we truly need. If our choices begin to revolve too much around our wants, then we too can quietly slip into the same trap the little bird has fallen into.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-8-5-11-2025/