Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 2, 2024
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.”
“Instant satisfaction!” When you hear this phrase, what comes to mind? Today’s technology has heightened our immediate consumption of information, interpersonal conversation, food, beverage, retail items, and entertainment — we can consume anything we desire at the touch of a few buttons. How does this instant satisfaction affect our faith?
We often associate faith with the ultimate test of patience rather than something that pays short-term dividends. Throughout biblical history, we can read about numerous people who couldn’t wait due to our human tendency to demand instant satisfaction, including some of Jesus’ closest friends. Think of James and John asking Jesus to call down fire from heaven or Philip asking Jesus to “Show us the Father, and that will be enough.” (Jn 14:1-14) Or, doubting Thomas refusing to believe that Jesus had resurrected unless he could see and touch Jesus’ wounds. We tend to demand that God work within the timeline of our expectations.
Fortunately for us as Catholics, instant gratification is always right under our noses, whether we allow ourselves to see it or not. Every time we attend Mass, we paraphrase the humble Roman Centurion’s words from today’s gospel, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” What immediately follows? We consume Christ in the Eucharist! Instant satisfaction does exist in faith!
My wife, whose humility often reminds me of the Roman Centurion in today’s gospel, has taught me to appreciate this moment during Mass, which, admittedly, I had previously taken for granted. Now, even amongst the busyness of bringing our two toddlers to church each week, we make sure that when we recite these words, the whole family does so with intention and focus.
As we enter this new liturgical year, may we all pause to admire the instant satisfaction that God gives us, and appreciate how God has been showing up for us immediately upon request since long before any next-day delivery services existed!
Prayer
What an extraordinary man that centurion must have been. He loved his slave, which was totally against the grain of his culture. He approached Jesus, knowing his fellow soldiers would probably ridicule and mock him. He was humble and respectful, unusual for a soldier of an occupying force. May we approach you, Jesus, with the centurion’s expectant yet confident faith, knowing that you will show us your mercy and give us your help. We ask this in your name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Chromatius was born in the late fourth century in the city of Aquileia in eastern Italy. His biography tells us that Chromatius lived with his widowed mother, his brother, and his unmarried sisters. Instead of continuing to live with his mother and sisters as their financial guardian, however, Chromatius was ordained a priest around the year 381. Shortly thereafter, Chromatius participated in the small Synod of Aquileia, which condemned Arius as a heretic and worked to establish an orthodox Christology, against Arius. This synod was organized by St. Ambrose, a distinguished theologian, who became a friend, mentor, and correspondent of Chromatius. In 388, Chromatius was elected bishop of Aquileia.
Although Chromatius himself is no longer a very well-known name, he was friends with many influential and famous theologians. He baptized Rufinus and became something of a mentor to him. Rufinus and St. Jerome disagreed over Origen's theology and style of exegeting scriptures. Chromatius took it upon himself to mediate the dispute of these two friends of his. Chromatius exerted his influence on his young mentee, Rufinus, and exhorted him to cease arguing with Jerome and instead turn his intellectual abilities to translate the great Church historian Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History out of Greek and into Latin. Chromatius was a dear friend of the great St. Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin. In fact, Chromatius is responsible for helping to finance Jerome's daring venture. In addition to his active correspondences with Ambrose, Rufinus, and Jerome, he also corresponded with the Church historian Eusebius.
Chromatius was also a prolific scriptural commentator and exegete in his own right. Part of his commentaries on Matthew's Gospel still survive today, including a beautiful homily on the beatitudes.
Another one of Chromatius' correspondents was the famous preacher St. John Chrysostom, priest of Antioch and then bishop of Constantinople. John Chrysostom criticized the royal family for their excess and their hypocritical practice of Christianity. Emperor Honorius promptly exiled John Chrysostom: a sentence which led finally to John Chrysostom's death. Chromatius interceded with Emperor Honorius on John Chrysostom's behalf, asking him to relieve him from his death march of exile. His pleas went unheeded, but provide yet another example of Chromatius putting his pastoral care and intellectual acumen at the service of Christian friendship, of building up the body of Christ through care for his friends and colleagues.
Chromatius, having thoroughly spent himself serving the Church that he loved so dearly, died on December 2 in the year 406 or 407.
St. Chromatius, faithful friend, who encouraged great saints to use their gifts for Christ—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Chromatius is in the public domain. Last accessed November 1, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
