4th December

4th December 2023

Our gospel today presents us with a miracle of deep trust. Jesus is in his new hometown of Capernaum when he meets a Roman Centurion. On the face of it this man should be reviled because he belongs to the hated army of occupation. However, he is a man of deep compassion, as her begs Jesus to cure his servant. Jesus is willing to go to the villa of this important man, but the Centurion is aware of the time pressure that Jesus faces. As a person of authority himself, he is well aware of the plate spinning that needs to take place in our lives. He proclaims those words that the Church has adapted every time we go to share Eucharist.

The faith of the Centurion is something we are asked to share today: have you got that utter trust and hope is Jesus that he had?

Today: perhaps try and get to Mass and share the words of the Centurion as you go to Holy Communion.

And now, see how a centurion begs Him and says to him: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, suffering dreadfully.” Here is a new miracle indeed! The servant, whose limbs are paralysed leads his master to the Lord; the slaves’ sickness gives health to his owner. Seeking his servant’s healing, he finds our Lord and while he is seeking for his slave’s cure, he becomes Christ’s conquest!” – Basil of Seleucia, Fifth Century Archbishop (Homily 19 on the centurion)