Coffee With God

Reflection: Luke 7:1-10

God’s loving care and salvation is not reserved to any particular religion or group alone. The Jews always considered themselves to be chosen people of God and regarded outsiders as pagans and unclean. Their scrupulous observation of purification rituals were mostly for purifying themselves from articles or places that were touched by the pagans and had become unclean. If a Jew had travelled into a pagan territory, as he or she walked away from the territory, was supposed to shake off even the dust from their legs, so that not even the dust that was pagan would be carried into the holly land. It is in such a background, that Luke presents this beautiful story of the of a pagan centurion who shows great concern for his servant. Luke presents this outsider official as a good man who also maintained a good relationship with the Jewish elders. Later on, he will profess his faith in the power of Jesus – his absolute trust in Jesus’ ability to command to the evil powers – because, illnesses were understood as the result of evil forces. He will also profess his unworthiness to receive Jesus in his household. “Not even in Israel, have I found such faith,” was how Jesus would respond to this outsider’s act of faith. Luke, who moved with Paul in his evangelising mission among the gentiles, was absolutely certain that Jesus’ mission was not limited to the Jewish Christians alone. The pagans, the outsiders too shared great faith in Jesus and believed that Jesus could save them from evil forces and death. In the Acts of the Apostles, we will find Luke narrating the touching story of how the pagan soldier Cornelius and his entire household received baptism from Peter. Indeed, God’s salvation is an open invitation to the whole humanity. Our initial catechism for the faithful must instil in our minds this truth of God’s mercy and salvation for the universe. Instead, our faulty understanding of catechism could lead us into the wrong concepts that we believe in a Catholic God! The pagan centurion’s prayer, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof… but say only a word…” has become our own prayer – we pray this every time when we prepare to receive the Eucharist during the Mass. Let us pray this with sincerity of heart. Let the example of the centurion inspire us to accept our brothers and sisters who do not share our faith, with open hearts and open arms.