Centurion.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
                        Centurion
                   (Matt. VIII, 5-13)
                       1974, 30 June
                           ----

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

The  Gospel  story  of  the centurion tells us about a men whose faith
exceeded that of the Jewish people, although he himself was a pagan. A
person  dear  to  him  was  ill  and  he  came to Christ, asking for a
miracle,  asking  that  the  Lord  should  have  mercy  on him. Christ
answered the man saying, "I will come, I will heal him."

This  is  where the amazing centurion’s faith was manifested. So often
when we pray, we ask the Lord insistently to come close to us, to make
His  presence  felt,  so  that we may clearly feel His power. This man
acted  with  great  simplicity,  saying  to  Christ, "No don't trouble
yourself  to  come.  I  am a sinful man and not worthy that you should
enter  under  my  roof,  but  just say the word and my servant will be
healed.  One  word from God - that was what the man asked for, not the
joy  of  contact  which  we  all  long. We ask the Lord that He should
fulfil  our requests and, in addition to that, grant us the miraculous
joy  of  His presence. The centurion appreciated in his heart how holy
the  Lord  was, how great, and was ready to forgo this joy if only his
friend, his servant would recover.

Often  we  could turn to God and say, "Help me, Lord. I do not need to
know  what  is  happening, nor to feel Your action; only do Your will,
silently,  as  it  were  from a distance, unnoticed by me." If only we
were  able  to turn to God with such faith, with such a feeling of His
holiness,  how  close  the  Lord  would  be. He is always close, He is
always  approaching  us,  but  we can sense Him only with a loving and
humble heart. A spark of love we sometimes have, but there is not much
humility.  So  if we were to turn to God and say, "Lord, let the good,
the holiness that my soul longs for be fulfilled for my dear ones, and
me  you  can  leave out. Pass me by on your way to them”, how the Lord
would  rejoice  at  the  love which is ready to lay down its life, its
joy, for others. Amen.