27th JUNE.SATURDAY IN THE 12TH WEEK

1.Genesis 18:1-15

2.Matthew 8:5-17

REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Reaching out beyond our family, and tribal boundaries

In the most part of the gospel we are used to hear Jesus meeting and dialoguing with people of his own race, Jews. Today’s gospel is one of the relatively few places where Jesus is portrayed as the entering into conversation with a pagan. The person whom Jesus encountered however was not an ordinarily pagan; he was a Roman centurion, man of authority, a commander in the occupying army. He came to Jesus as a man who was used to giving orders; he knew the power of his own word.  He knew very well that the power of the word of this prophet from Nazareth transcended the power of his word. “ Just say a word and my servant will be cured.” A version of what a centurion said to Jesus now has made it way into our Eucharist. “ only say a word and I shall be healed.” How strange that the words of a Roman Centurion would come to form part of the Church’s Eucharist. Jesus remarks in his response that the centurion was a man of great faith. Thus our today’s gospel suggests that faith can be found in unexpected places, and to unexpected people. We learn a lesson that even those people who seem not to Christians, more especially Catholics, yet may be found stronger in faith than pious Catholic. We learn also that salvation is for all people regardless of their family background, tribal, religious and political affiliations; the only criterion to be fulfilled is to have faith in the risen Jesus Christ and submit that he is really the son of God and had risen from the dead. It is not always where we expect it to be, and it can be where we least expect it. This pagan centurion calls out to us through the pages of the gospel to entrust ourselves to the healing and life giving power of the Lord’s word, as he did.