Homily for the 4th Sunday after Pentecost. -Met. Korniliy (Titov)
Matthew, Reading 25 (8:5–13)
Dear brothers and sisters,
In the Gospel reading from Matthew heard today, we are told about the simple yet profound faith in the almighty power and authority of the Lord, who acts as He wills, who is everywhere present, able to cross all distances and pass through every wall, who can heal any disease with a single word and, by His command, raise the dead. The Evangelist, for our spiritual instruction, recounts how a certain man received from God, in a wondrous manner, that for which he asked. And if we carefully examine this episode from the Gospel history, we will see what conditions must be met in order to obtain what we ask of God.
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him and asked: “Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and is grievously tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion fell at the feet of Jesus and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” The Lord marveled at the living and sincere faith of the centurion and said to those who followed Him: “Truly, I have not found such faith in Israel,” for the Pharisees had forgotten the Living God amid their countless legal prescriptions. Then the Lord said to the centurion, “Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” And his servant was healed that very hour.
Capernaum was a small city in Judea, and the centurion—that is, a military officer who commanded a hundred soldiers—was a Roman, a pagan, an outsider and an oppressor of the Jewish people, to whom Christ belonged. This centurion was the city’s military chief, but instead of sending his subordinates to fetch the itinerant preacher Jesus, he himself, in humility, came to Him and pleaded on behalf of his servant. He also confessed himself unworthy to receive Jesus under his own roof. Thus, the centurion, possessing great authority, showed great meekness.
In his humility, the centurion said to the Lord: “I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak only Thy almighty word, and my servant shall be healed.” “My words and commands,” the centurion as it were implies, “are carried out by those under my authority; but Thou art the eternal God, almighty, who rules all the world, and so a single word of Thy sovereign power is more than enough to heal my servant.”
Were there not many in Israel who were sick and needed the Lord’s help? Why did the Lord respond immediately to the centurion’s request in particular? First, because the centurion, having a good heart, asked not for himself, but for his servant. Christ valued this pious and truly Christian act of the centurion, who, disregarding the vain conventions of the world, performed an act of mercy and compassion for his neighbor, although he very likely faced condemnation from his fellow countrymen for doing so. Second, when the centurion said, “Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed,” he openly professed before all his faith in Christ, a faith that required no further proof for him. The Lord had earlier encountered such steadfast faith combined with great humility in the case of the Canaanite woman, a Gentile, who begged Him for the healing of her daughter. Faith is such a spiritual power that by it even miracles can be accomplished. The Lord Himself said: “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, ‘Remove hence to yonder place,’ and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).
The Lord sees in the centurion the chief Christian virtues: strong faith, mercy, great humility, and love for one’s neighbor. Thus, a miracle took place—the servant was healed that same hour. The centurion came to the Lord with faith, love, and humility and pleaded, “Heal my servant.” It pleased God that the servant should be healed. How often in our prayers do we call upon God: “Come into my soul, into my life; come and dwell in us.” In today’s Gospel, the centurion himself was not yet ready for the Lord to come to him. We must learn from the centurion how to call upon God for help in such a way as to be freed from all that is sinful; for we cannot receive the Lord into our soul if His enemies—selfishness, malice, an unwillingness to forgive, greed—dwell there.
How often do we pray to the Lord for this or that mercy, yet do not receive it, or receive it only after much delay and with great effort—our Father does not seem to listen to us, to grant our requests, or to fulfill our petitions, even though He has said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7). This sometimes happens through our own fault, when we do not know what we are asking for, and so we do not receive it. The Lord, without any doubt, always knows human needs and, as the All-Benevolent One, desires to help us, for “the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great mercy” (Ps. 102/103). Our great teacher John Chrysostom instructs us to ask for those things “which are profitable both for us who ask, and fitting for God who gives.” He further teaches us not to consider as truly beneficial whatever only seems so according to human reasoning, “for we, being ignorant of many things that are truly good for us, often ask for what is not profitable.” The Apostle Paul says the same: “For we know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Rom. 8:26).
We often consider things to be beneficial which are, in fact, harmful to us; and when we ask God for these things, He does not grant them to us at all, or, if He allows us to have what we ask, we suffer more harm than gain. We often ask God for honor and glory, wealth and health, though, having received these, we may find only misery, anxiety, and distraction. And if we desire to ask of God what is truly good for us, let us again turn to John Chrysostom, who teaches us that we ought to ask for the common good of all Christians, for peace and stability in the Church, for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the pardon of our enemies; let us ask for a Christian end to our life, in repentance and with a pure conscience. But if you wish for something worldly, “commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass” (Ps. 36/37). He, in His infinite wisdom, will enlighten and guide you, if you put your trust in Him and place all your hope upon Him. He will remove all obstacles and the opposition of enemies, He will preserve you from human envy, and He will establish you as a mountain of Zion. Only keep your will in submission to the will of the Lord, and always turn to Him in prayer, saying: “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt; Thy will be done” (Matt. 26:39). If we ask in this way, we will receive at once whatever is truly beneficial and fitting for us from the God whom we petition.
If we ask God for earthly and temporary things—health, wealth, happiness, fame, honor—then our prayer is a small thing; such things He often gives even to those who transgress His commandments and to the ungodly. “Let us suppose that someone asks a king for a little manure,” writes St. Ephraim the Syrian, “such a person not only disgraces himself by the triviality of his request, revealing his ignorance, but also insults the king by his foolishness. So it is with one who in prayer asks God for earthly goods.” Ask great things of the Lord. Ask with warm love, living faith, and sincere repentance—ask for His Kingdom, and all the rest will be given to you if God deems it profitable for you. “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Luke 12:31).
Brothers and sisters! The example of the Gospel centurion ought to be for us a model, if we desire to receive from God that which is for our salvation.
First, we must have strong faith, made manifest in our deeds, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). Even the demons believe that the Lord exists and tremble before Him, but through their demonic pride they remain demons, because they do not repent or change, and thus are destined for eternal torment and everlasting fire.
Second, we must possess the greatest humility, and in that humility ask God for what is truly beneficial to us. And if, despite our prayers, the Lord does not grant something, we ought neither to demand it nor to fall into despair because our petition was not fulfilled.
Third, we must always strive for mercy and love for our neighbor, sometimes denying ourselves for the sake of another, sacrificing ourselves for the good of our neighbor. And if we truly strive for this and grow in it, then our prayer will be effective, God will hear us, because we will be united with Him, becoming like Him, abiding in love and mercy. To Him be glory forever. Amen.
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
July 5, 2009