Matthew 8:5-17 – The Faith of the Centurion
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour his servant was healed.
Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.
Neurologically impaired and abandoned, the girls residing at the Missionary of Charities Orphanage shocked me with their helplessness. Strapped into wheelchairs or secured onto small cots, most of these girls could not speak. They communicated joy at receiving visitors with piercing eyes and wide smiles. Our group of visitors canvassed the room, in turn greeting the incapacitated girls with a “Jambo!” and handshake. Initially awkward and uncomfortable, I eased into a graced settling of simply being-with the neurologically impaired residents. I didn’t need to do anything, I realized. Being present to these orphaned girls was the greatest gift I could give them. Holding hands or rubbing a bony, crooked back provided comfort. Guttural grunts and toothless smiles signaled unbroken spirits. So unaccustomed to the human touch, these innocent girls soaked up my attention. Young dedicated nuns took serious Jesus’ command to care for the least of our brothers and sisters here. Truly following the example of Mother Teresa, they are unrecognized saints in our midst. Our visit to the Mission of Charities humbled me. Yet I came away instilled with the reminder that we are all part of God’s creation and equally deserving of love and respect.
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