Mt 8:5-17
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appeal 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 that you should enter under my roof, only say the word and my servant will 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 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 east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour (his) servant was healed.
The Word in other words
A centurion is a Roman military official with around 100 men under his command. With this position, he receives a high compensation enabling him to afford a better life. This life would mean having slaves at home who, like the soldiers under him, are always ready to obey his commands.
This centurion knows then the power of his words. At work and at home, all his words instantly take effect and are obeyed by his people. In his own realm, the centurion feels that he is powerful.
The fact that the centurion approaches Jesus to heal his servant manifests his belief that Jesus is also powerful in His own realm, And if he can effect power with his words, why not also Jesus? Thus, with faith, he says to Jesus: "Only say the word and my servant will be healed."
We can draw two thoughts from the above statements. First, a person of prayer and deep faith, the centurion is convinced that Jesus, if he wills it, has the power to heal his servant. In our own little way, we pray privately. But how deep is the faith that motivates or moves us to pray?
The second thought that has to do with the content of the prayer of the centurion. He is praying for his servant. Yes, we pray and we bring our petitions to God, but are they usually petitions for our own personal concerns and for our loved ones? How often do we pray for the people who serve us: our maids, cooks, laundry people, gardeners, etc? How often do we pray for the needs and concerns of people who do not belong to our family and loved ones?
- Fr. Jerome S. Montesclaros, SVD (USC, Cebu City)
