Reading
Matthew 8:5-11
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
Comment
The universalist message of Matthew's Gospel shows that Christ's mercy is without barriers, because he does not look at the social background, language or nation, but only at the heart of man and his faith.
At the time of Jesus, Capernaum was a town located on the north-western shore of the Lake of Gennesaret, prosperous and of a certain importance, being close to the great road traveled by caravans from Syria.
The centurion was a ranked soldier in the Roman army, commanding a centuria (one hundred men), not necessarily Roman, in the service of Herod Antipas. The pagan origin of the protagonist of this evangelical story is attested by his proclaiming himself not worthy for Jesus to enter under his roof: according to Jewish tradition, if a Jew entered the house of a pagan he was to be considered ceremonially impure. The centurion wants to avoid this inconvenience for Jesus, but he is also an example of humility: in fact, he does not say to Jesus "My servant is not worthy that you come under my roof" but "I am not worthy".
Accustomed to command and aware of the authority of an order, the simple word of Christ is enough for the centurion. His faith - which makes him the son of Abraham, father of believers - becomes exemplary and Jesus recognizes its greatness, above that of the Israelites.
If the world separates man from man like the spokes of a wheel, love is the center in which the charity that cancels all distinctions converges: here the centurion, his servant and the saving word of Christ meet.
Prayer
May the meeting with you, o Lord, be a source of salvation for us and for those who recommend themselves to our prayers; that through humility and faith we may sit at the table where your grace is dispensed. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
