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“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]
1 Timothy 2:1-8
Beloved:
First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,
petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,
for kings and for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity.
This is good and pleasing to God our savior,
who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God.
There is also one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as ransom for all.
This was the testimony at the proper time.
For this I was appointed preacher and Apostle
(I am speaking the truth, I am not lying),
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,
lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.
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Commentary on 1 Tm 2:1-8
St. Paul instructs Timothy and his followers on the communal prayers of the Church. He tells Timothy that everyone is to be prayed for, from the king to the servants. His intentions make it clear that he came to bring the Gentiles the good news, and that there should be unity in Christ.
The final verse is an instruction on the posture of communal prayer: “in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.” "St Augustine uses this text to explain the various parts of the Mass: 'We take as 'supplications' those prayers which are said in celebrating the Mysteries before beginning to bless (the bread and wine) that lie on the table of the Lord. We understand 'prayers' as meaning those prayers that are said when (the offering) is blessed, consecrated and broken for distribution, and almost the whole Church closes this prayer with the Lord's prayer [...]. 'Intercessions' are made when the blessing is being laid on the people [...]. When this rite is completed and all have received this great sacrament, the whole ceremony is brought to an end by 'thanksgiving' -- which is also the word which concludes this passage of the apostle's ("Letter 149", 2, 16)." [4]
CCC: 1 Tm 2:1-2 1349, 1900; 1 Tm 2:1 2636; 1 Tm 2:2 2240; 1 Tm 2:3-4 2822, Sans;; 1 Tm 2:4 74, 851, 1058, 1256, 1261, 1821; 1 Tm 2:5-8 2634; 1 Tm 2:5 618, 1544, 2574
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Psalm 28:2, 7, 8-9
R. (6) Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
Hear the sound of my pleading, when I cry to you,
lifting up my hands toward your holy shrine.
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
The Lord is my strength and my shield.
In him my heart trusts, and I find help;
then my heart exults, and with my song I give him thanks.
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
The Lord is the strength of his people,
the saving refuge of his anointed.
Save your people, and bless your inheritance;
feed them, and carry them forever!
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
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Commentary on Ps 28:2, 7, 8-9
The psalmist, in this selection, uses language describing the posture of prayer (see also 1 Timothy 2:8) “lifting up my hands toward your holy shrine.” The holy shrine for the Christian is Christ who rules the kingdom of heaven. The song continues, as a lament, asking for God’s salvation.
“The suppliant’s prayer (28:1–4). The psalmist begins his prayer by asking God to hear him (vv 1–2); the words convey a sense of desperation, as though his situation had lasted for some time, but God had not answered. The Lord to whom he prays is addressed as “my Rock”; in general terms, the word “rock” designates permanence, strength, and security.” [5]
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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.
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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.
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Reflection:
The faith of the centurion, a person not even of the Hebrew faith, in the divinity of Jesus serves as an example of the power of prayer. We note in this passage that the centurion did not come to Jesus himself, but rather he sent messengers. Perhaps he was worried that his intrusion into the presence of one so holy might contaminate the Lord, or maybe he did not want to leave his beloved servant's side during his apparently fatal illness.
We recognize that the messenger used by the centurion must have been convinced of the sender’s sincerity. The Lord saw into people’s hearts like we see into a pond of clear water. When he saw that the messenger was communicating a sincere faith, the healing power of Christ flowed back through that channel of faith and the servant who was ill became well.
Whatever the reason, his plea was delivered by someone else. This encounter with Christ through an intercessor seems to tell us that we do not have to be in the actual presence of the Lord if our faith in him is firm and unwavering. We pray constantly to the Father through Jesus who is our Lord and Savior. We pray, as St. Paul instructed, lifting up “holy hands” to the Lord. We also ask those whose faith has already been proven to intercede for us, like messengers standing in the presence of Christ. We enlist the aid of holy men and women who have gone before us – the saints. We especially pray that our Holy Mother Mary may echo our prayers to her Beloved Son.
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.
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Letters of St. Paul,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 561-62.
[5] Peter C. Craigie, Psalms 1–50, 2nd ed., vol. 19, Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville, TN: Nelson Reference & Electronic, 2004), 238.
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