 |
“Confession of the Centurion”
by James Tissot, 1886-1894 |
Readings for Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33
Brothers and sisters:
In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact
that your meetings are doing more harm than good.
First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church
there are divisions among you,
and to a degree I believe it;
there have to be factions among you
in order that also those who are approved among you
may become known.
When you meet in one place, then,
it is not to eat the Lord's supper,
for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,
and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?
Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?
What can I say to you? Shall I praise you?
In this matter I do not praise you.
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my Body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Cor 11:17-26, 33
St. Paul lashes out at the church in Corinth for divisions that have developed between different groups or factions. In the first part of this reading, he compares their behavior to those who would be uncharitable, eating and drinking while their brothers and sisters go hungry. His comment on these divisions is especially harsh as he gives a veiled warning that those who cause these divisions and separate themselves from “those who are approved” – those acceptable to the Lord in the eschaton.
The Apostle goes on to recount the Eucharistic blessing in this earliest form of the institution of the Lord’s Supper. The emphasis is on Jesus’ generous gift of self and the command to repeat his actions in worship.
CCC: 1 Cor 11:17-34 1329; 1 Cor 11:17 2178; 1 Cor 11:18 752; 1 Cor 11:20 1329; 1 Cor 11:23-26 1339; 1 Cor 11:23 610, 1366; 1 Cor 11:24-25 1356; 1 Cor 11:24 1328, 1329; 1 Cor 11:25 611, 613; 1 Cor 11:26 671, 1076, 1130, 1344, 1393, 2772, 2776
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
R. (1 Cor 11:26b) Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin‑offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O Lord, know.
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
Psalm 40 is a song of thanksgiving. It is also combined with a lament. In these strophes the thanksgiving of those who hear the voice of God and obey his words is sung. This obedience is loved by God above ritual sacrifices. The Lord especially loves those who follow his law. Once heard, the good news is proclaimed to all the people.
Supporting the new covenant, the psalm selection tells us that the animal sacrifices and sin offerings of the Hebrews are not what the Lord wants; he would rather have a humble and contrite heart.
CCC: Ps 40:7-9 LXX 462; Ps 40:7 2824
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 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.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 7:1-10
The story of the healing of the centurion’s servant is used to demonstrate that even death is subject to the will of Christ. The centurion’s speech, through the messenger, expresses this thought and communicates the humility of one who recognizes God’s authority.
The story is found also in Matthew 8:5-13 and John 4:46-53, although differing in some details. A key element of the story is the humility of the centurion. While in St. Matthew’s Gospel he approached Christ directly, here he sends delegations to implore the help of the Lord for his slave who is “entimos” (very dear) to him. This humility resonates within our modern liturgy as we use the centurion’s words just before receiving the Eucharist: “Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof; but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”(Dómine, non sum dígnus, ut íntres sub téctum méum: sed tántum dic vérbo, et sanábitur ánima méa.)
An important feature of this miracle story is the fact that Jesus was not physically present; rather he cured with a word (shared in the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman [Mark 7:24-30]). The faith of those believing in God’s mercy expressed through Christ was sufficient to impart the healing presence of God.
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We all yearn for the faith of the centurion, do we not? We find ourselves in situations feeling threatened by events, circumstances of health, or compromised ethically where we say with our lips: “I know God will help me.” Or “I know God loves me and I place this in his hands.” Yet deep within us our frail human psyche screams: “I am falling and there is no one to help.” Or “I am dying and I am alone in the darkness.” What was it that allowed the centurion to so impress Jesus such that the Lord, out of his infinite mercy, reached out and cured the slave for whom the centurion was so concerned?
In each of our lives we have experienced fear. Fear is a natural emotion, one developed organically over the millennia of human evolution as a protective mechanism, so that we would know when to flee danger and when to avoid self-destructive behaviors. It is this natural fear that is difficult to offer up because it is so integrated into our being. I am reminded of the famous novel by Frank Herbert, “Dune,” where the hero was taught a mantra: “Fear is the little mind-killer.”
As difficult as it seems, we must learn to offer our fear to the Lord, as did the centurion and the martyrs, to develop so much trust in the Lord that our fear is driven out completely. If we can do this, our hearts can approach the Lord full of confidence, full of hope, and full of faith, laying before him all that troubles us. Because our faith is so strong, the Lord will, with his word of pure love, answer our deepest needs with the mercy only he can show.
Our prayer today is a plea to the Lord. We ask that he accept our deepest fears and turn them to faith in him. May he comfort us in the darkness of those fears and bring light and warmth to all who suffer so needlessly for the perceived lack of his compassion.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Confession of the Centurion” by James Tissot, 1886-1894.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
No comments:
Post a Comment