De femina quam absentem sanavit.
The Faith of the Centurion and the Nun
The faith of the centurion who asked Christ only to speak the word is recalled, and a nun of Barking, devoted to blessed King Edward, is shown to have been zealous for that same faith.
That ruler Regulus, whose son lay sick at Capernaum, thought the bodily presence of the Lord necessary for his healing, and by the very standard of the Savior's judgment he is judged to have shown too little faith.✦ Furthermore, we know that the centurion's faith was preferred above that of the Jewish religion for this very reason: when Christ had promised to come to drive away the boy's paralysis, he, full of faith as he contemplated Christ's divine majesty, said, 'No, Lord, but only speak the word, and my boy will be healed.'✦ A certain nun, a holy woman in the monastery of Barking, zealous for the merits of blessed King Edward, made that same faith more famous through her own faith.
A Dream of Healing at Edward's Tomb
The nun, weakened by a long quartan fever, dreams of a journey in which she is directed to seek healing at the tomb of King Edward through devoted prayer.
For she herself was also suffering from the affliction of a quartan fever, and now a second year passing in that very illness had taken away her hope of recovering her health. Then one day, when she was trying to revive her weary limbs in the rest of morning sleep, she saw in a dream that she had set out with her own retinue on a journey to visit her homeland and her parents. And when they had gone a little way, one of them asked her to turn aside to Westminster, so that there, refreshed with food and drink, they might more easily endure the toil of the journey. And she said to them, 'How can I turn aside to them, whose faces I have never seen, whose names I do not know, and with whom I have never shared anything in giving or receiving?' And he said, 'There is a noble king there, Edward, whose tomb if you visit with devotion and faith, he will easily obtain for you from the Lord his God the refreshment by which your body may regain its former strength.'
The Interior Argument of Humility and Faith
Awakening, the nun prays at the altar and then interiorly debates the need for physical pilgrimage, ultimately echoing the centurion's words: 'Speak the word, and your servant will be healed.'
So when the woman woke up, she shook off her sleep, got up from her bed, and supporting her weak limbs with a staff, she entered the oratory and prostrated herself before the altar. Then, singing the seven psalms known as the Penitential Psalms with deep contrition of heart, she adds the solemn Litanies, and with devout prayers she pleads with the holy king: "I believe, Lord, that healing is prepared for me at your holy tomb, as was promised to me — if I go there, I will receive it; but what need is there for this effort, or rather this danger to myself?"1 For it will be no small loss to my peace of mind to seek out a journey, procure travel provisions, find companions for the trip, and especially to hear and see many things while going and coming back — things that can raise up the mind and strip away its seriousness, and for me myself to trifle away the time, or be idle, or attend to such things while doing them.2 Why then is it necessary for me to seek the presence of your holy body, when you are present in spirit, and every creature is too small for the one who perceives the Creator?"3 I know for certain, I know that in that light which penetrates all things, my misery lies open to you, and since you share in that highest power, if the will is there, the ability will not be lacking."4 Speak the word, then, and your servant will be healed."5
The Fever Subsides Through Repeated Prayer
After her prayer the nun rests calmly, and when the next fevers return she again seeks Edward's chapel; passing the third bout unharmed, she is restored to health and gives lifelong thanks.
When she had poured out these words and others like them in great anguish of heart, she returned to her bed of pain, fearful and trembling; for this was the day on which the hour of that dreaded attack was expected. But she — if I may put it this way — advancing slowly, caused little or no trouble to the one who was suffering.6 Calmer now, the woman turns her whole self to praying to the most blessed king, and after two days' rest the onset of the quartan fever was dreaded. But when that dread hour pressed upon her, she enters the chapel again and, with psalms sung before, repeats and multiplies her tears and prayers. What more is there to say? And she passed that day without trouble. But when she had met the third bout with the same remedy as before, restored to perfect health, she rendered thanksgivings to holy King Edward for as long as she lived.
Read the original Latin
Regulus ille cujus filius infirmabatur Capharnaum ad sanandum eum necessariam corporis Domini praesentiam ratus, minus fidelis ipsius Salvatoris sententia judicatur. Porro fidem centurionis ob id maxime Israeleticae religioni novimus ab ipso Christo praelatam, quod cum ad pueri illius paralysim depellendam suum spopondisset adventum, divinam ejus majestatem fide plenus attendens: Nequaquam, inquit, Domine, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur puer meus. Hujus fidei similitudinem sanctimonialis quaedam femina in monasterio Berchigensi zelata, beati regis Edwardi merita sua reddidit fide clariora. Laborabat enim et ipsa quartanae febris incommodo, et jam ei secundus in ipso languore transiens annus spem recuperandae sanitatis ademerat. Die vero quadam cum matutini soporis quiete membra marcida refocillarei, videbat in somnis se cum suorum comitatu ad patriam propriam parentesque revisendos iter arripuisse. Et cum paululum processissent, rogat unus aliquis ut divertat ad Westmonasterium, quatenus ibi cibo potuque refecti laborem itineris facilius sustinerent. Et: «Quomodo, inquit illa, ad eos divertam quorum nec faciem unquam vidi nec nomina novi, nec in ratione dati et accepti cuiquam illorum aliquando communicavi?» Et ille: «Est ibi, inquit, nobilis rex Edwardus, cujus si cum devotione ac fide sepulcrum inviseris, facile tibi a Domino Deo suo refectionem qua corpus tuum pristinum vigorem recipiat impetrabit.»
Evigilans igitur mulier somnumque retractans surrexit de stratu, baculoque imbecilla membra sustentans, ingreditur oratorium et coram altari prosternitur. Septem quoque Psalmos qui poenitentiales dicuntur, cum summa cordis contritione decantans solemnes addit Litanias; devotis quoque precibus sanctum regem conveniens: «Credo, inquit, Domine, paratam mihi apud sanctum sepulcrum tuum, secundum quod mihi promissum est, si illud adiero, sanitatem; sed quid opus est hoc labore meo, imo periculo meo? Erit enim non parvum meae quietis dispendium vecturam quaerere, viaticum procurare, socios itineris providere, praecipue in eundo et redeundo audire multa, multa videre quae mentem extollant et adimant gravitatem, et vel ipsa nugari, vel otiari, vel talia facientes attendere. Quid igitur necesse est ut sacri corporis tui praesentiam quaeram, cum spiritu praesens sis, et cernenti creatorem angusta sit omnis creatura? Scio certe, scio quod in ea luce quae penetrat omnia, mea tibi patet miseria, et cum sis particeps summae illius potestatis, si voluntas adfuerit, non deerit facultas. Dic proinde verbo et sanabitur ancilla tua.» Haec et hujusmodi cum in magna cordis angustia declamasset, ad lectum doloris sui timens et tremens revertitur; erat enim dies qua tremebundae illius accessionis exspectabatur hora. Sed illa, ut ita dicam, lento pede progrediens parum vel nihil molestiae intulit patienti.
Animaequior exhinc facta mulier ad rogandum regem beatissimum se totam convertit, et post biduanae quietis solatium quartanae passionis timebatur accessus. Incumbente autem hora illa terribili oratorium rursus ingreditur, et praemissis psalmis lacrymas iterat et multiplicat preces. Quid plura? Et illum diem transigit sine molestia. Cum autem tertiae tribulationi eodem quo prius occurrisset antidoto, perfectae reddita sanitati, sancto regi Edwardo quoad vixerit gratiarum retulit actiones.
Scripture echoes
- ↩John.4.46-John.4.53;Matt.8.5-Matt.8.13;Luke.7.1-Luke.7.10 — So he came again to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. John.4.47 — When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was about to die. John.4.48 — So Jesus said to him, 'Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.' John.4.49 — The royal official said to him, 'Lord, come down before my child dies.' John.4.50 — Jesus said to him, 'Go; your son lives.' The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went on his way. John.4.51 — As he was going down, his servants met him, saying that his son was alive. John.4.52 — So he asked them the hour at which he began to get better. They said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." John.4.53 — The father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus had said to him, 'Your son lives.' And he himself believed, and his whole household. Matt.8.5 — When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him Matt.8.6 — and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, terribly tormented." Matt.8.7 — And he says to him, "I will come and heal him." Matt.8.8 — But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. Only say the word, and my servant will be healed." Matt.8.9 — For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it. Matt.8.10 — When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who were following him, 'Truly I tell you, I have not found such great faith in all of Israel.' Matt.8.11 — I tell you, many will come from east and west and will sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matt.8.12 — But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt.8.13 — And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And his servant was healed at that hour. Luke.7.1 — After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Luke.7.2 — Now a centurion had a servant, highly valued by him, who was sick and about to die. Luke.7.3 — And when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save his servant. Luke.7.4 — When they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, 'He is worthy to have you do this for him,' Luke.7.5 — For he loves our nation, and he built our synagogue for us. Luke.7.6 — So Jesus went with them. But when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying, 'Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy that you should come under my roof.' Luke.7.7 — Therefore I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed. Luke.7.8 — For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it. Luke.7.9 — When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." Luke.7.10 — And when they returned to the house, those who had been sent found the servant in good health.
- ↩Matt.8.8;Luke.7.7 — But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. Only say the word, and my servant will be healed." Luke.7.7 — Therefore I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed.
Notes
- 1 ↩conveniens here rendered "pleading with" rather than "meeting"; the sense is one of earnest address to the saint, not physical encounter.
- 2 ↩The infinitive chain depends on an implied dispendium [esse]; the infinitives are epexegetical, spelling out what the loss consists in.
- 3 ↩cum here is causal ("since") rather than concessive; the argument is that Christ's spiritual presence makes physical pilgrimage unnecessary.
- 4 ↩particeps rendered "share in" for the theological sense of participation in divine power; causal cum ("since") is preferred over concessive.
- 5 ↩Echoes the centurion's plea in Matthew 8:8 / Luke 7:7 ("only say the word, and let my servant be healed"); final resolution deferred to Moses check.
- 6 ↩ut ita dicam is parenthetical, softening the metaphor; illa refers to the woman's body or the fever personified. patienti ("the one suffering") refers to the woman herself. The sentence means the illness progressed gently and caused little additional suffering.
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