24Th Week, Monday Year B-Homily (17Th September, 2018)

Monday: 1 Cor. 11:17-26, 33; Lk. 7:1-10  

The first reading presents to us how Paul explains the attitude and the disposition of the community with regard to the Lord’s Supper. In fact, Paul gives a scolding to the community because they failed to understand the meaning of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. As we all know that the Eucharist is the expression of Jesus love for the twelve apostles. But, the community was disloyal to this Eucharistic love due to disunity and lack of eschatological orientation. One of the reasons why Paul does not commend the community is that while celebrating the Eucharist they were stuck to their divisions and factions. Thus the community failed to understand the primordial things over the trivial issues. They gave away the eschatological essentials by being bogged down by the existential elements. Paul is rather emphatic as he says that what he received from the Lord he passed it on. But then the community could not do so. Therefore, at this complex situation, Paul comes out with a solution to re-examine their attitude towards the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and then turn to the Lord for help so that they may open their hearts to celebrate the Eucharist worthily. In the context of the Eucharist Christian charity and fraternity become very strong as it is both a thanksgiving and a sharing (Bread being broken and shared). In fact, the words “Do this in memory of me” the Lord initiates a bond of mutual sharing and mutual love. Therefore, Paul is heavy on the community for having failed to recognise this Eucharistic element.   

In today’s gospel, we read of a centurion’s response of faith in Jesus. The emphasis in the miracle is given to the power of Jesus’ word. A centurion, being a Roman, considered as unclean by the Jews and yet manifests a great deal of faith in Jesus. As a commander of the army, he could command his army from a distance understood that Jesus also could heal his servant from a distance. The point of the story is Jesus’ affirmation of the centurion’s faith and not the report of the healing that concludes the story. In fact, Lukan description communicates Jesus’ surprise at the Gentile’s faith, and his approval as well. This tells us that where Jesus would have expected to find faith in an Israel, here he finds it in a Gentile. Jews request Jesus not to consider him as a Gentile for he was good to the Jews. In contrast to what the Jewish elders say, the centurion claims that he is not worthy to welcome Jesus into his house. He was even sensitive to Jesus not to allow him to break Jewish rule of ritual purity. Thus a centurion acknowledges Jesus’ power over the forces of death. So much so that he even believed that Jesus’ mere word would restore his servant to health. Here, a centurion became a hero not because he did something extraordinary or he is worthy not because he did good deeds but because he believed that God in Jesus conquered death. His unexpected faith is contrasted with that of those who were expected to believe and did not. 

Dear friends, the word of God invites us to think about our faith in Jesus, how deep and firm it is? Or how shallow and superficial it is? The situation in and around is in no way different from that of Jesus. If so are we like a centurion who professed in Jesus or like the community in the first reading who celebrated the Eucharist unworthily. The former was outside the chosen race yet believed in the Lord and latter was inside the chosen race but failed to believe the real presence of the Lord. Therefore, like the centurion let us express our faith in Jesus and not in people. If we keep our faith in people surely we will lose our faith like the community in the first reading who were blinded by their own vested interests and selfish motives and failed to believe the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Such people are not very far from heresy, schism and apostasy. How fatal that would be, living a life of self-contradiction and a life of uncertainty. Instead, like the centurion who considered himself unworthy before Jesus and yet believed that only Jesus could bring healing for his servant and reconciliation to him whom the world considered as the unclean. But the Lord was amazed at his faith. Dear friends, seeing you and me will the Lord say not even in Israel have I found faith as great as this. If so you are not very far from the Kingdom of God. If not, better examine before the Lord who truly, really and substantially comes to us in this Eucharist. And it is better to repent now than never.