THE WORD
1 Cor 11,17-26.33 / Lk 7, 1-10
When Jesus had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him. When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave. They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, “He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.”
And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person 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 at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When the messengers returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
IN OTHER WORDS
Paul’s proclamation of our faith and experience in the Eucharist represents a paramount value for the Christian. In Opening to God, Father Thomas Greene speaks of prayer, without which we can neither do missionary work nor relate to people of other cultures. He also cites John Main, once a British colonial administrator in Malaysia, who came home changed. He became a Benedictine monk, drawing his spirituality largely from the fruits of dialogue with people he met in Malaysia, and founded a monastery dedicated to the practice and teaching of meditation in the Christian tradition.
Just as Paul presents the Eucharist as a symbol of unity which should bring together all believers, the centurion in the gospel passage, obviously changed by his life in Israel, shows value and respect for other traditions which transcend colonial limitations and Jewish attitudes. The synagogue had been accepted by the people in spite of their deeply rooted aversion to the gentiles. This shows an unprecedented demonstration of respect for the sensibilities of Judaism. The centurion was aware that Jesus would become unclean in Jewish eyes if he entered a pagan’s house; consequently, his request, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed.” Showing an appreciation and sensitivity for what was good in the other’s culture, the
Centurion was worthy of being considered the most respectful of missionaries.
Those two valuable insights – mutual respect and the appreciation of common values - stand at the heart of mission for all Christians. They also are an indication of the relevance and necessity of the Church in the world.
- Fr. Alan Meechan, SVD | Naujan, Or. Mindoro
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
