MONDAY, DEC 4
Matthew 8: 5-11
When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Grace:
I ask for the grace to know Jesus in a deeper way that I may abundantly love and follow him.
“Lying paralyzed, suffering dreadfully” I can feel the urgency in the pleading words of this centurion. He loves his servant deeply; and because of his love, he is moved to go to an itinerant Jewish preacher to look for healing. He searches him out; approaches him publicly; and in doing so, shows the world that he, a soldier of the great Roman Empire, does not have the power to heal. Jesus does…
In that tiny moment, between the beseeching words and Jesus’ response, the faith, hope and love of the centurion hangs on a thread. A refusal is surely a public shaming, but what is this risk compared to losing a dear servant? He wonders: “How will this preacher respond?” “Will he see me as the enemy, the invader of his country?” “Will he mock and humiliate me publicly, as the price for healing my servant?” “I have heard he is kind and compassionate…”
“I will come and cure him.” There is no doubt in Jesus’ response. He is willing, and will heal. Now the centurion knows; Jesus does not see a Roman conqueror, an unclean heathen, a man of power. He sees the love of a man for a servant beneath his station; someone he, the centurion would risk public humiliation to save. Love evokes love. Love heals.
What is power and authority in the face of this?
For Reflection and Prayer:
Am I the servant, paralyzed in terrible distress?
Am I the centurion, willing to risk public exposure for the sake of a friend?
Am I like Jesus, moved by the sight of love?
The Contributor:
Renata Furst teaches scripture and spirituality at Oblate School of Theology. She accompanies others through the journey of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in daily life. She shares this gift to train spiritual directors to accompany others through this same journey.
Learn more about Magis Ignatian Spirituality Programs
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.