And if I say to one, ‘Go!’ he goes; and if I say to another, ‘Come!’ he comes; and if I say to my servant,
‘Do this!’ he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was astonished; and said to those who were following him, “I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel.
I say to you, many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven;
but the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown out into extreme darkness; there, they will wail and grind their teeth.” Then Jesus said to the captain, “Go home now.
As you believed, so let it be.” And at that moment, his servant was healed. Jesus went to Peter’s house and found Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with fever.
He took her by the hand and the fever left her; she got up and began to wait on him.
Toward evening, they brought to Jesus many people possessed by evil spirits; and with a word, he drove out the spirits.
He also healed all who were sick. In this way, what was said by the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled: He bore our infirmities and took on himself our diseases.
REFLECTION:
The encounter between Jesus and the centurion who asked him to heal his servant who was ill is perhaps
one of the most beautiful encounters in scripture between Jesus and someone imploring him for aid.
So beautiful, in fact, that we utter it each time we are about to receive Jesus’ body and blood at Mass.
It shows the absolute confidence and trust in the loving mercy of Jesus, by someone who didn’t even share his faith and his religion.
It shows not only the depth of God’s love, but its all-expansive and all-embracing character. But it also shows the power of genuine faith.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2020