Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
More often than not, I find that scripture is silent on some of the details modern storytelling has trained me to expect. In today's Gospel, one instance of that is the dynamics of the Centurion’s household.
I suspect that people who have created film depictions of Jesus’ life have done something similar to what I imagine. If I was telling the story today, I would imagine setting the scene by showing the dynamics in the Centurion's household. I would show the favor shown toward the dying slave. I would give back story so that the audience would know is this a servitude of debt, a prisoner from war, a person taken against their will, or the voluntary slavery of one choosing to entrust themselves to another as was a practice in the ancient world. I would show scenes that explore the dynamics between the other servants of the household and this favored servant?
As a storyteller I would want to show all of this because I would want to then show the follow up on what happens in the house once the slave is healed. Do resentments grow? Are old wounds healed? Is the relationship between the Centurion and his slave deepened?
Now, I am not critiquing Luke's storytelling chops. His goal is to help us clearly see Jesus Christ for who he is and what his mission is. Luke wants us to see that this Centurion recognizes Jesus as being one with authority in the same way that the psalmist uses the rising of the sun and the shining of the stars as evidence that even nature recognizes God's authority. It is we humans that reject it and turn away from God in sin. Luke wants to show us that Jesus's mission is not merely to restore the tribe of Judah to former glory. His mission was not only to reunite the 12 tribes. Jesus's mission was to fulfill the mission promised from the very beginning. Healing, renewal, and restoration for all humanity. From the very beginning the mission was to bless the entirety of the world.
Jesus heals a Centurion’s slave. He acquiesced to the request of a powerful foreigner to heal a nameless slave at the behest of Jewish petitioners. Jesus is for everyone. Notably one of the other details that Luke leaves out is what is the nationality of the slave. And the absence of that detail confirms for me that it doesn’t matter. Jesus is for everyone.
So what do we do from here? Obviously, this message calls us to trust God's authority. It calls us to turn to God in all things. This Centurion is such a model of faith that we echo his words every time we go to Mass.
However, I want to go back to the storytelling in my head. If the Centurion’s experience is anything like mine then I have a guess as to how the dynamics of that household would have been impacted by the healing. I think there would have been deep, deep appreciation for the new life restored in this slave. I think that there would have been rejoicing and petty differences would have been set aside because the prospect of this person dying would have put all that in perspective. I think that everyone who prayed sincerely for that dying slave would have grown in empathy towards him or her. In my experience, when we pray fervently for others and seek the aid of God for them, we try to understand them. In seeking the right words for our prayer, we are challenged to grow in understanding and empathy of the path someone else is walking. Pray provides a path to empathy. And healing. And renewal. And restoration.
So let us pray.
- Spencer Hargadon