De servo centurionis, et filio reguli a Domino liberatis
The Centurion's Faith and the Lord's Humble Mercy
A centurion of great faith sends to Jesus to heal his servant, and the Lord commends his humility by healing from a distance.
Now in Capernaum there was a certain centurion — that is, a leader of a company of soldiers — and he had a servant who was sick. Full of faith, he therefore sent to the Lord Jesus, asking him to heal the servant.✦ The humble Lord answered him: 'I will come and heal him.'✦ When the centurion learned this, he sent word to him, saying: 'Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof — but only speak a word, and my boy will be healed.'✦ Jesus, commending his faith, did not go any further — and healed the servant from a distance.✦
The Petty King's Plea and the Healing of His Son
A minor ruler begs Jesus in person to heal his son, yet Jesus heals without going, showing mercy beyond outward ceremony.
Now in the same city there was a certain petty king — that is, a minor ruler — who went in person to Jesus, begging him to come to his house and heal his sick son.✦ But Jesus was unwilling to go; nevertheless, he healed the son.✦
The Lesson of Faith, Humility, and Forsaking Worldly Pomp
The meditator draws out the spiritual meaning: the centurion's faith, the Lord's humility, the petty king's rejection of pomp, and the call to serve from love rather than outward show.
In these episodes I see the merit of faith shown in the centurion, the humility of the Lord who was willing to go to the servant, and the petty king fleeing from worldly pomp. Consider also that we must not show favoritism to persons.✦ For this Lord honored the soldier's servant more than the king's son; and so we must not serve for outward show, nor according to the demands of external pomp, but according to the intention or goodness of the one who needs our service — and we should serve not from mere pleasing of others, but from love.✦12
Read the original Latin
Capharnaum vero erat quidam centurio, id est, cenlum militum ductor, et servum habebat infirmum. Misit ergo fide plenus ad Dominum Jesum, ut eum curaret. Humilis autem Dominus respondit: Ego veniam, et curabo eum. Quod cum scivit Centario, remisit ad eum, dicens: Domine, non sum digwis, ut intres sub teclum meum: sed tantum dic verbum, ei sanabitur "puer meus. Jesus autem commendans fidem ejus, non ivit ulterius, et servum absentem sanavit. Cum autem in eadem civitaie esset, quidam regulus *, id est, parvus rex, ivit personaliter ad Jesum, rogans eum, ut veniret ad domum suam, et sanaret filium suum infirmum. At Jesus ire noluit, filium tamen sanavit. In his autem consideru meritum fidei propter centurionem, et humihtatem Domini, volentis ire ad servum, et reguli pompam refugientis.
Considera etiam, quod non debemus acceptare personas. Plus enim honoravit hic Dominus servum militis, quam filiimi regis: sic et nos debemus non ad oculos servire, nec secundum exigentiam exterioris pompae; sed secundum intentionem vel bonitatem ejus qui servitio indiget, et non ex complacentia, sed ex charitate serviamus
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.8.5-Matt.8.6 — 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.8.13 — 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.
- ↩John.4.46-John.4.47 — 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-John.4.50 — 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.
- ↩Deut.10.17;Acts.10.34;Rom.2.11 — For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. Acts.10.34 — Then Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I understand that God is not one who shows partiality. Rom.2.11 — For there is no partiality with God.
- ↩Matt.8.5-Matt.8.13;John.4.46-John.4.53 — 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. John.4.46 — 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.
Notes
Meditationes Vitae Christi (Pseudo-Bonaventure), Castilian court context companion
A scene a day, for life
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