CCC Cross Reference:
Is 2:2-5 762; Is 2:2-4 64; Is 2:4 2317
Mt 8:8 1386; Mt 8:10 2610; Mt 8:11 543
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Reading 1
Is 2:1-5
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!
Reading 1 (In Year A when Is 2:1-5 is used on the First Sunday of Advent)
Isaiah 4:2-6
On that day,
The branch of the Lord will be luster and glory,
and the fruit of the earth will be honor and splendor
for the survivors of Israel.
He who remains in Zion
and he who is left in Jerusalem
Will be called holy:
every one marked down for life in Jerusalem.
When the Lord washes away
the filth of the daughters of Zion,
And purges Jerusalem’s blood from her midst
with a blast of searing judgment,
Then will the Lord create,
over the whole site of Mount Zion
and over her place of assembly,
A smoking cloud by day
and a light of flaming fire by night.
For over all, the Lord’s glory will be shelter and protection:
shade from the parching heat of day,
refuge and cover from storm and rain.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 8:5-11
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.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Isaiah 2:1-5
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In the days to come
the mountain of the Temple of the Lord
shall tower above the mountains
and be lifted higher than the hills.
All the nations will stream to it,
peoples without number will come to it; and they will say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob
that he may teach us his ways
so that we may walk in his paths;
since the Law will go out from Zion,
and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’
He will wield authority over the nations
and adjudicate between many peoples;
these will hammer their swords into ploughshares,
their spears into sickles.
Nation will not lift sword against nation,
there will be no more training for war.
O House of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
First reading Isaiah 4:2-6 (In Year A when Is 2:1-5 is used on the First Sunday of Advent)
That day, the branch of the Lord
shall be beauty and glory,
and the fruit of the earth
shall be the pride and adornment
of Israel’s survivors.
Those who are left of Zion
and remain of Jerusalem
shall be called holy
and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.
When the Lord has washed away
the filth of the daughter of Zion
and cleansed Jerusalem of the blood shed in her
with the blast of judgement and the blast of destruction,
the Lord will come and rest
on the whole stretch of Mount Zion
and on those who are gathered there,
a cloud by day, and smoke,
and by night the brightness of a flaring fire.
For, over all, the glory of the Lord
will be a canopy and a tent
to give shade by day from the heat,
refuge and shelter from the storm and the rain.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 121(122):1-2,4-5,6-9
Gospel Matthew 8:5-11
When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralyzed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Monday of the 1st Week of Advent
From: Isaiah 2:1-5
The Glory of Zion and Peace Among the Nations
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem.
[2] It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
[3] and many peoples shall come, and say:
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
[4] He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
[5] O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
2:1-4:6. This section opens with a new "dispute" ("rib") in which we find echoes of the teaching about the "day of the Lord" (2:12; cf. Amos 5:18-20). Previously, the people were accused of forsaking God (cf. 1:2-3); now we are told why God has forsaken them (cf. 2:6): it was on account of their arrogance and their idolatry (cf. 2:6-4:1). However, it is not really the case that God has forsaken his people; his "forsaking" them is a way of describing the punishment he inflicts on them on account of their sins. When the Lord's sentence is revealed, human arrogance will be brought low, and the Lord will be exalted (cf. 2:9, 11, 17).
Oracles about the splendor that will be Zion's on that day introduce (cf. 2:1-5) and round off (4:2-6) this "dispute".
2:1-5. Despite the sins of the people and the disastrous situation in Judah that is described in this first part of the book, from the very start a glimmer of hope is provided in this vision of messianic and eschatological restoration which shows that the salvation of the world centers on Zion, "the mountain of the Lord", that is, Jerusalem.
All the nations will converge on the holy city, but not to despoil it of its wealth: they will come in peace to hearken to the word of the Lord and receive instruction in his law. This note of hope, struck, strategically, at the very start of the book, and at its end (66:18-24), constitutes one of its most important messages.
The poem in vv. 2-5 (found also, with slight variations, in Micah 4:1-3) links the Law with the temple, the spiritual center of Jerusalem after the national reconstruction that took place when the exiles returned from Babylon.
In contrast with the strife and desolation that sin brings in its wake (cf. 1:2-9), peace is the outcome of reverence for God and readiness to obey his precepts, of the practice of virtue and of love of neighbor. The weapons of war become tools for development and agriculture: "Insofar as men are sinful, the threat of war hangs over them, and hang over them it will until the return of Christ. But insofar as men vanquish sin by a union of love, they will vanquish violence as well and make these words come true: 'They shall turn their swords into plough-shares, and their spears into sickles. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more' (Is 2:4)" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 78).
These words of Isaiah announcing God's salvific intervention in the fullness of time will come true with the birth of Christ, who will open up an era of perfect peace and reconciliation. The Church uses this text in the liturgy of the first Sunday in Advent, encouraging us to look forward to the second coming of Christ as we prepare to recall his first coming at Christmas.
*********************************************************************************************
From: Isaiah 4:2-6
A holy remnant in Jerusalem
------------------------------------------
[2] In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. [3] And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, every one who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, [4] when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy and a pavilion. [6] It will be for a shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
4:2-6. In the midst of all that distress, there is still some reason to hope that the Lord will come back and shelter his people again. These verses will out the vision found in 2:1-5. Mount Zion refers above all to the assembly of the remnant of Israel gathered in the temple; these will enjoy the Lord's protection as in the days in the wilderness when, after being delivered from Egypt, they made their way towards the promised land guided by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (cf. Ex 13:21-22).
The "branch of the Lord" (v. 2) is a title belonging to the king in the line of David (cf. 11:1). It is not only the "remnant" of Israel that will survive and see the glory of the purified Jerusalem, but also the Messiah, David's son. For this reason, a later Christian writer, commenting on Elizabeth's greeting to Mary ("Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb": Lk 1:42), says: "Isaiah speak of this fruit when he says: In that day … the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. What can this fruit be, if not the Holy One of Israel, who is at the same time the seed of Abraham, the shoot of the Lord, the flower that springs from the root of Jesse, the life-giving fruit of which we all partake?" (Baldwin of Canterbury, "de salutatione angelica").
*********************************************************************************************
From: Matthew 8:5-11
The Centurion's Faith
-------------------------------
[5] As He (Jesus) entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to Him, beseeching Him [6] and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." [7] And He said to him, "I will come and heal him." [8] But the centurion answered Him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." [10] When Jesus heard him, He marvelled, and said to those who followed Him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. [11] I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
5-11. "Centurion": an officer of the Roman army in control of one hundred men. This man's faith is still an example to us. At the solemn moment when a Christian is about to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the Church's liturgy places on his lips and in his heart these words of the centurion, to enliven his faith: Lord, I am not worthy...".
The Jews of this time regarded any Jew who entered a Gentile's house as contracting legal impurity (cf. John 19:28; Acts 11:2-3). This centurion has the deference not to place Jesus in an embarrassing position in the eyes of His fellow Israelites. He shows that he is convinced that Jesus has the power over disease and illness; he suggests that if Jesus just says the word, He will do what is needed without having actually to visit the house; he is reasoning, in a simple, logical way, on the basis of his own professional experience. Jesus avails of this meeting with a Gentile believer to make a solemn prophecy to the effect that His Gospel is addressed to the world at large; all men, of every nation and race, of every age and condition, are called to follow Christ.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
Is 2:1-5
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!
Reading 1 (In Year A when Is 2:1-5 is used on the First Sunday of Advent)
Isaiah 4:2-6
On that day,
The branch of the Lord will be luster and glory,
and the fruit of the earth will be honor and splendor
for the survivors of Israel.
He who remains in Zion
and he who is left in Jerusalem
Will be called holy:
every one marked down for life in Jerusalem.
When the Lord washes away
the filth of the daughters of Zion,
And purges Jerusalem’s blood from her midst
with a blast of searing judgment,
Then will the Lord create,
over the whole site of Mount Zion
and over her place of assembly,
A smoking cloud by day
and a light of flaming fire by night.
For over all, the Lord’s glory will be shelter and protection:
shade from the parching heat of day,
refuge and cover from storm and rain.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 8:5-11
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.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Isaiah 2:1-5
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In the days to come
the mountain of the Temple of the Lord
shall tower above the mountains
and be lifted higher than the hills.
All the nations will stream to it,
peoples without number will come to it; and they will say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob
that he may teach us his ways
so that we may walk in his paths;
since the Law will go out from Zion,
and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’
He will wield authority over the nations
and adjudicate between many peoples;
these will hammer their swords into ploughshares,
their spears into sickles.
Nation will not lift sword against nation,
there will be no more training for war.
O House of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
First reading Isaiah 4:2-6 (In Year A when Is 2:1-5 is used on the First Sunday of Advent)
That day, the branch of the Lord
shall be beauty and glory,
and the fruit of the earth
shall be the pride and adornment
of Israel’s survivors.
Those who are left of Zion
and remain of Jerusalem
shall be called holy
and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.
When the Lord has washed away
the filth of the daughter of Zion
and cleansed Jerusalem of the blood shed in her
with the blast of judgement and the blast of destruction,
the Lord will come and rest
on the whole stretch of Mount Zion
and on those who are gathered there,
a cloud by day, and smoke,
and by night the brightness of a flaring fire.
For, over all, the glory of the Lord
will be a canopy and a tent
to give shade by day from the heat,
refuge and shelter from the storm and the rain.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 121(122):1-2,4-5,6-9
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For the peace of Jerusalem pray:
‘Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls,
in your palaces, peace!’
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For love of my brethren and friends
I say: ‘Peace upon you!’
For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Gospel Matthew 8:5-11
When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralyzed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Monday of the 1st Week of Advent
From: Isaiah 2:1-5
The Glory of Zion and Peace Among the Nations
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem.
[2] It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
[3] and many peoples shall come, and say:
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
[4] He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
[5] O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
2:1-4:6. This section opens with a new "dispute" ("rib") in which we find echoes of the teaching about the "day of the Lord" (2:12; cf. Amos 5:18-20). Previously, the people were accused of forsaking God (cf. 1:2-3); now we are told why God has forsaken them (cf. 2:6): it was on account of their arrogance and their idolatry (cf. 2:6-4:1). However, it is not really the case that God has forsaken his people; his "forsaking" them is a way of describing the punishment he inflicts on them on account of their sins. When the Lord's sentence is revealed, human arrogance will be brought low, and the Lord will be exalted (cf. 2:9, 11, 17).
Oracles about the splendor that will be Zion's on that day introduce (cf. 2:1-5) and round off (4:2-6) this "dispute".
2:1-5. Despite the sins of the people and the disastrous situation in Judah that is described in this first part of the book, from the very start a glimmer of hope is provided in this vision of messianic and eschatological restoration which shows that the salvation of the world centers on Zion, "the mountain of the Lord", that is, Jerusalem.
All the nations will converge on the holy city, but not to despoil it of its wealth: they will come in peace to hearken to the word of the Lord and receive instruction in his law. This note of hope, struck, strategically, at the very start of the book, and at its end (66:18-24), constitutes one of its most important messages.
The poem in vv. 2-5 (found also, with slight variations, in Micah 4:1-3) links the Law with the temple, the spiritual center of Jerusalem after the national reconstruction that took place when the exiles returned from Babylon.
In contrast with the strife and desolation that sin brings in its wake (cf. 1:2-9), peace is the outcome of reverence for God and readiness to obey his precepts, of the practice of virtue and of love of neighbor. The weapons of war become tools for development and agriculture: "Insofar as men are sinful, the threat of war hangs over them, and hang over them it will until the return of Christ. But insofar as men vanquish sin by a union of love, they will vanquish violence as well and make these words come true: 'They shall turn their swords into plough-shares, and their spears into sickles. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more' (Is 2:4)" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 78).
These words of Isaiah announcing God's salvific intervention in the fullness of time will come true with the birth of Christ, who will open up an era of perfect peace and reconciliation. The Church uses this text in the liturgy of the first Sunday in Advent, encouraging us to look forward to the second coming of Christ as we prepare to recall his first coming at Christmas.
*********************************************************************************************
From: Isaiah 4:2-6
A holy remnant in Jerusalem
------------------------------------------
[2] In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. [3] And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, every one who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, [4] when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy and a pavilion. [6] It will be for a shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
4:2-6. In the midst of all that distress, there is still some reason to hope that the Lord will come back and shelter his people again. These verses will out the vision found in 2:1-5. Mount Zion refers above all to the assembly of the remnant of Israel gathered in the temple; these will enjoy the Lord's protection as in the days in the wilderness when, after being delivered from Egypt, they made their way towards the promised land guided by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (cf. Ex 13:21-22).
The "branch of the Lord" (v. 2) is a title belonging to the king in the line of David (cf. 11:1). It is not only the "remnant" of Israel that will survive and see the glory of the purified Jerusalem, but also the Messiah, David's son. For this reason, a later Christian writer, commenting on Elizabeth's greeting to Mary ("Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb": Lk 1:42), says: "Isaiah speak of this fruit when he says: In that day … the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. What can this fruit be, if not the Holy One of Israel, who is at the same time the seed of Abraham, the shoot of the Lord, the flower that springs from the root of Jesse, the life-giving fruit of which we all partake?" (Baldwin of Canterbury, "de salutatione angelica").
*********************************************************************************************
From: Matthew 8:5-11
The Centurion's Faith
-------------------------------
[5] As He (Jesus) entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to Him, beseeching Him [6] and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." [7] And He said to him, "I will come and heal him." [8] But the centurion answered Him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." [10] When Jesus heard him, He marvelled, and said to those who followed Him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. [11] I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
5-11. "Centurion": an officer of the Roman army in control of one hundred men. This man's faith is still an example to us. At the solemn moment when a Christian is about to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the Church's liturgy places on his lips and in his heart these words of the centurion, to enliven his faith: Lord, I am not worthy...".
The Jews of this time regarded any Jew who entered a Gentile's house as contracting legal impurity (cf. John 19:28; Acts 11:2-3). This centurion has the deference not to place Jesus in an embarrassing position in the eyes of His fellow Israelites. He shows that he is convinced that Jesus has the power over disease and illness; he suggests that if Jesus just says the word, He will do what is needed without having actually to visit the house; he is reasoning, in a simple, logical way, on the basis of his own professional experience. Jesus avails of this meeting with a Gentile believer to make a solemn prophecy to the effect that His Gospel is addressed to the world at large; all men, of every nation and race, of every age and condition, are called to follow Christ.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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