Word to the Wise
Saturday, June 26, 2010 - Saturday in the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
[Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19 and Matthew 8:5-17]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. [Matthew]
The gospel reports that Jesus was amazed at the faith of the centurion who uttered the words spoken above. The centurion was a Roman soldier and most likely pagan! Jesus notes that the faith of this man is greater than those whom he had been preaching to who were Jewish! The centurion's faith is based on his own identity as a commander of troops. He knows what an "order" is and has no doubts as to what it means. So, if Jesus gives an "order," then the matter is as good as done! This is straightforward and absolute and no subtlety about it! This "healing at a distance" is meant to demonstrate Jesus' power and identity but it is also meant to call attention to the power of faith. We who consider ourselves "modern" and "children of the Enlightenment" may look at such events as products of naive faith and coincidence. I think there may be some irony in that viewpoint because, if we have any faith in God, we should be able to believe that Jesus could do exactly as he did for this centurion. It is our own faith that is naive if we think Jesus' power is something like a wireless signal! The words and faith of the centurion are immortalized in the celebration of the Eucharist when we say, "O Lord, I am not worthy...." Not many people can make that claim! AMEN
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