3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, January 22, 2012
Epistle – Romans 12: 16-21
Gospel - Matthew 8: 1-13
In the Chapters prior to Chapter 8 in Matthew, Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, which ends with, “the people were in admiration at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as their Scribes and Pharisees.” St. Jerome comments: when he came down from the mountain “an occasion presented itself for working a miracle; so that by means of the miracle the sermon just heard might be confirmed.”
And so today’s Gospel reading beings: “When Jesus had come down from the mountain . . . behold a leper came and adored him.” Mystically, the mountain here refers to our Lord's throne in heaven, and the leprosy refers to our sins, because just as leprosy is a wasting away of our bodies, sin is a wasting away of our souls. After hearing the Sermon on the Mount, this leper recognized Jesus as God and believed He had power over the universe. He knew that in a former time God cured Naaman of leprosy through the Prophet Eliseus (2 Kings 5: 1-19). Now this leper in today’s Gospel was not only a man of faith, but also very wise in his understanding of life. He knew that good health is not profitable to everyone as a means to gain heaven, and he did not know whether being healed of leprosy would help him to gain heaven. Therefore, he said to the Lord, “If thou wilt,” or putting it a different way: “I believe that what is good You will do, but I do not know if what I ask for is good for me.” But Jesus, “stretching forth His hand, touched him, saying, I will, be thou made clean.”
In the Old Testament the prophet Eliseus did not touch Naaman to cure him, but observed the Law of Moses against touching lepers and told him to wash himself in the Jordan River. But the Law of Moses is not the Lawgiver, and so Jesus touched this leper not as a servant of the law, as the priests were, but as the Lord of the Law, the One who gave the Law to us. Jesus came not only to heal the body, but to guide the soul to true wisdom, so by touching the leper, He also teaches us that only the leprosy of the soul is to be feared, which is sin, and that neither leprosy nor any illness of the body will prevent someone from living a virtuous life. So in touching the leper, Jesus rescinded the letter of the Law but not the righteousness of the Law. It seems the mercy of God was only hinted at in the Law of Moses, but here it was demonstrated in public for all to see.
Having cured him, Jesus tells the leper to show himself “to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.” This is first, a lesson in submission to God’s priests, next, that the priests, seeing him cleansed might be saved if they would believe in Christ, and also that Jesus “may not appear to infringe the Law of Moses,” which was an accusation made against him often by the Scribes and Pharisees. He did not say, “Offer the gift which I order,” but to stop the mouths of malicious talkers, he said offer the gift “which Moses commanded.”
After healing the leper, Jesus went to Capharnaum and met a Centurion. This man represents the converts among the Gentiles and more than that. Here is a Roman who had not read the Law of Moses or the Prophets concerning Christ, and had not seen Jesus perform any miracles. He may have heard of the cleansing of the leper, yet he immediately believed more about Jesus. He said to Him, “Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented.” Palsy is a condition where one suffers tremors of the body. The Centurion didn't say he would have to spend more money training a new servant if this one died, he said his servant was “grievously tormented.” This shows us that the Centurion loved and cared for him. We can also see that he did not consider the difference between his high state, and the lowly state of the servant. Even though their dignity varies in this life, the Centurion considered only that his servant, a man like himself and whom he cared for, was “grievously tormented.”
Note the Centurion didn't ask Jesus to come to his servant. He believed that a word from the Lord would cure him. Note also he did not ask for a cure. He relied on the Lord's mercy. He trusted Jesus and merely informed Him of the servant's illness. Seeing the faith and humility of this man, Jesus immediately says, “I will come and heal him.” But the Centurion replies, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.” Just prior to receiving our Lord in Holy Communion we repeat this prayer of humility three times, changing the word servant to soul, because we ask for the healing of our souls. Jesus marvels at what the Centurion said, saying, “I have not found so great faith in Israel.” The Son of God does not marvel at wealth or power, but He marvels at faith. Of course, many Jews did believe that Jesus was the Son of God, but they were expected to believe because they were the chosen people, and Jesus loved them. But for a Roman Centurion to have such faith was indeed something to marvel at.
Our Lord then predicts that many from outside the Jewish nation would come and “sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,” but that “the children of the kingdom [meaning the Jews] shall be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” We understand He didn't mean all Jews because millions of Jews over the centuries have come to believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God and have accepted Him as the promised Messiah. Finally, our Lord tells the Centurion, “Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done. +++
St. Agnes of Rome
Yesterday, January 21st we celebrated the Feast of St. Agnes of Rome. Agnes was one of the most revered martyr saints in the early Church. She was killed in the 4th Century A.D. The Roman Emperor at the time made it a crime to be a Christian, Agnes immediately came forward and announced publicly that she was a Christian. She was made to suffer greatly for this “crime.” Agnes was a virgin and was turned over to a house of prostitution. When she went in she found that an angel of God was there to protect her. When a young man looked upon her with sin in his eyes, he fell to the ground stricken with blindness. She was taken out, stripped naked and they attempted to burn her alive. She was not concerned with the flames, only with covering herself in modesty with her long flowing hair. The flames did not harm her. Finally, she was condemned to die by the sword. She presented her neck to the executioner and her soul to our Lord and her head was struck off. Agnes was mature beyond her years, a courageous heroine who died for Christ at the age of 12.
We Celebrate the Tridentine Latin Mass
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