Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother, lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses."

- Matthew 8:5-17 

 

On Saturday we read that, when Jesus had ended His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7), the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."    A centurion was a Gentile, a Roman military officer, who commanded one hundred men in a legion.  My study Bible comments that Jesus is the Savior of all, and in Him ethnic distinctions are void.

 

 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  My study Bible says that I will come has been read by many scholars of Greek to be a question:  "Shall I come?"  Either way, we observe that Jesus is ready to deal graciously with this Gentile, and even to enter his house.  We should recall that Matthew's Gospel is considered to be oriented toward a Jewish community.  Even to enter the house of the centurion would make Christ unclean in the eyes of the Jews, which -- similarly to touching the leper to heal him in Saturday's reading -- all the more emphasizes Christ's gracious and compassionate actions.

 

 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  My study Bible comments on the unusual faith of the centurion, as he calls Jesus, who is a Jew, Lord.   His statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof," is often quoted in liturgical texts as an ideal expression of humility.  We notice the reciprocal gracious action of first Christ, and then this Gentile officer who shows humility before Jesus.

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  There are two times recorded in the Gospels that Jesus marveled.  The first is in at Mark 6:6, when Jesus marveled at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth.  The second is here, at the belief of this foreigner.  

"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  My study Bible comments that here Jesus nullifies any ideas of ethnic superiority.  It says that the rejected sons of the kingdom are both the Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith.  Outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous dead in Sheol (or Hades) in the Jewish tradition (see Enoch 103:8, 108:6).  These are common expressions in Matthew, reflecting the awareness of Jewish spirituality at this time nto which Christianity was born (Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 23:30) and also occur in Luke (Luke 13:28).  

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother, lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."   This passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (in which Peter is called Cephas) show us that Peter was married.  My study Bible comments that Christ's healing miracles are diverse.  Here, He heals by touch; with the servant of the centurion (above), He healed by a word.  This healing of Peter's mother-in-law is immediate and complete, while others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25), or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of that person's loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  The quotation (from Isaiah 53:4) reflects the understanding that all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity. 

As my study Bible indicates, Christ's healing actions reflect His ministry's aim for redemption of ailing humanity.  But, in effect, it is not just His miracles that reveal this to us.  Everything Jesus does is healing, everything is for redemption.  This would include His gracious behavior toward the centurion, and the mutual recognition of both Christ and the centurion of authority and display of humility.  Of course, only Christ is called Lord in the text, indicating His proper rank of authority, as recognized by the centurion.  But let us consider for a moment the risk the centurion also takes by calling Jesus "Lord."  At a time when allegiance to the Emperor went without question for any and all people under the authority of the Roman Empire (and thus Caesar), for a centurion to call Jesus "Lord" is extremely surprising.  His own loyalty to Roman authority is absolute, and goes far beyond what you and I today would understand as allegiance.  Let us not forget that when people participated in any sort of ceremony it came with worship for the Emperor.  Indeed, when we hear of Christian saints who were Roman soldiers, their martyrdom mostly occurred as a result of refusing this worship even when they themselves were being honored for their bravery by the Empire.  So in this context, we must understand the great grace and humility of the centurion, and at the same time, his own discernment.  He clearly and immediately recognizes the authority in Jesus.  This is something that His own townspeople so flatly rejected (as the only other occasion upon which Jesus marveled in Mark 6:6, and is also rejected by the Jewish religious leaders, a factor which will play a crucial role in His Crucifixion.  In fact, for the religious establishment, it was precisely questions of authority which they kept raising to Jesus, and seeking proofs of that authority was their usual means by which they sought to test Him.  But the centurion needs none of that to recognize the authority in Jesus, and this is the real occasion for Christ's exclamation, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."   What so many among His own community, even in places where He had done great healings, fail to perceive, this centurion has understood about Jesus.  And this is the beginning of faith, some capacity for perception that allows us to see and know this about Jesus, to recognize His authority.  We can see the respect that Christ commands in the centurion, a man who is used to giving orders and using his own authority.  He commands one hundred men in the Roman Legion, and yet to him, Jesus who holds no title as an ordinary Jew among a people who are colonial subjects of the Roman Empire, is worthy of being called "Lord."  It is no wonder Jesus marvels.  This is the substance of faith, as Jesus identifies when He says, "I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And it is not just something reserved for the Gospels or for this particular circumstance of the Roman centurion.  This tells us about the reasons why we have faith, and that faith is a recognition of something, a confidence, a trust.  It is some perception within us that tells us of true authority in which we can place our faith, which commands our highest allegiance.  The Roman centurion teaches us all as an example, even as Jesus marvels.  He treats Christ with the utmost respect, teaching us all the importance of discernment, humility, and grace in our own conduct.

 

 

 

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses

 

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.

 

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He Himself took our infirmities 

And bore our sicknesses."

- Matthew 8:1–17 

 

We have recently been reading through the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 - 7 of Matthew's Gospel).  Yesterday, we read Jesus' final words of the Sermon, in which He spoke about the final judgment:   "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."   As Jesus has just finished His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, He comes down from the mountain, and many follow Him.  In today's reading, His engagements with the people concern healing.  My study bible comments that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13; 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  Leprosy was a disease that was considered to be a direct punishment for sins.  As lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus touched the leper, expressing His compassion -- and at the same time establishing that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  In that sense, we can understand this healing as an expression of divine authority in God's loving mercy.  To the clean, my study Bible says, nothing is unclean (compare Romans 14:14).

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."   A centurion (a Gentile) commanded 100 men in a Roman legion.  Jesus is the Savior of all, my study Bible says, and in Him ethnic distinctions are void.

 

 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   Many Greek scholars have read Jesus' remark, I will come, as a question:  "Shall I come?"  Whichever way it should be understood, Jesus is ready to deal graciously with this Gentile, my study Bible says, and even to enter his house, which would make Christ unclean in the eyes of the Jews.

The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'God,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  This centurion expresses an unusual faith in Christ, as He calls Jesus, a Jew, Lord.  The statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof," is frequently quoted in liturgical texts, my study Bible says, as an ideal expression of humility. 

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  My study Bible notes that only twice in the Gospels is it said of Jesus that He marveled:  at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and here, at the belief of this foreigner.

"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  My study Bible comments that here Jesus nullifies any ideas of ethnic superiority.  The rejected sons of the kingdom are both the Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith; outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous in Sheol (Hades) in the Jewish tradition (see Enoch 103:8).   They are common expressions in Matthew (13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30), and they also occur in Luke (Luke 13:28). 

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities/And bore our sicknesses."  My study Bible notes here that this passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (where Peter is called Cephas) indicate that Peter was married.   Christ's healing miracles are quite diverse.  Here, Jesus heals by touch.  In verse 13, Jesus healed by a word ("Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you").  This healing of Peter's mother-in-law is immediate and complete, while others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25), or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  As the final quotation in today's reading indicates (Jesus quotes from Isaiah 53:4), all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.

All of today's reading involves healing, various healings performed by Christ just after we're given the Sermon on the Mount.  If we put the two together, we could say that, coming down from the mountain, Christ comes into the world, and as the Divine-human Jesus, embodies into action what He has preached as divine word.  Put in another way, the divine Word Himself comes into the world and embodies in action what He truly is in [His] Being.  So we have to look at what He does to understand Him more clearly, and to understand His message and teachings to us, and what they mean.  He first of all heals a leper by touch.  This is doubly magnificent as a healing, because, not only does He heal the dreaded leprosy, symbol of our own sin in the Old Testament and for His community, but He does so by touch, which is forbidden, as the law considered leprosy unclean.  For a Jew, this would mean bringing uncleanness into community without the express permission of a priest who would certify first that the leprosy was gone.  But Christ, the Word, is the giver of the Law, and as such He is the Lord.  However, His compassion is the expression of His teaching ("Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" - Matthew 7:12).  But the real spark that facilitates actual connection is the tremendous faith it must have taken for the leper to say to Christ, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  This seems like an extraordinary request, given the conditions of the time and the law.  The next extraordinary request comes from the centurion, a most unlikely person to approach Jesus.  As we can see, even Jesus marvels at the great faith of this centurion, when He says, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"   That is quite an extraordinary compliment indeed.  (And just imagine, making even Jesus marvel!)  But it is that extraordinary capacity for faith that gives the spark to connect the communion of Christ's power for healing human beings.  Faith becomes the key, even as Jesus marvels and points out to us that "many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Christ affirms the power of faith in the sight of God, when He tells the centurion, "as you have believed, so let it be done for you."   Finally, by touch, He heals Peter's mother-in-law so that she is restored to her place of honor in the household -- and beyond, He cast out spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, so that He clearly fulfills Isaiah's prophesy as compassionate healer and redeemer.  He is the One who enacts God's mercy with what He does, and by extension, He invites us to do the same, with whatever capacities we have.  The key to all of this, however, is clearly faith, and it is this demonstration of great faith at which Jesus marvels, and for which He extends His tremendous compassion and healing power.  This is a lesson that mustn't be lost on us today anymore than two thousand years ago in Galilee; it is the lesson spread to the known world by the apostles, and it has to be the lesson for us now.  Where is our faith?  What is the state of our faith?  Are we waiting for miracles first?  Or do we understand that it is faith that opens up the door for the connection with Christ, and prayer that works with God's power.  Sometimes we'll find that healing doesn't exactly look like what we expected or wanted, but Christ is there with His compassion to show us the way if we start with even a tiny seed  of faith.  He continues to carry us and bears our infirmities, as do the saints who hear our prayers.

God has visited His people

 

 Now when He concluded all his sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."  Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I am also a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And he presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

 

- Luke 7:1–17 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke a parable to His disciples:  "Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall into the ditch?  A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.  For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.  But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.   But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.  And the ruin of that house was great."

 

 Now when He concluded all his sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."  Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I am also a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.  My study bible comments on this passage regarding the focus on the centurion.  He is a Roman Gentile, and he's unusual in his devotion to the Jews.  His characteristics are notable, particularly for modern day Christians:  He has compassion (verse 2), love for God and for God's people (verse 5), humility (verse 6), and finally great faith (verses 7-9).  

 

 Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And he presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.  My study bible comments that this is one of three resurrections which were performed by our Lord, as recorded in the Gospels (see also 8:41-56; John 11:1-44).  They confirm the promise which was given to the prophet Ezekiel, that God will one day open the graves and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  My study bible adds that many people have exercised authority over the living; but only the Son of God "has power over both the living and the dead" (Orthodox funeral service).  Note that while Christ has power through His word alone (John 11:43), here He also touched the coffin to show that His very body is life-giving.  This event is also a prefiguration of Christ's Resurrection.  St. Ambrose of Milan comments that as Mary would weep for Jesus at the Cross, yet her tears would be turned to joy by the Resurrection, so here a widow's only son is raised from the dead, which puts an end to her weeping.  

Let us note the role that compassion plays in today's reading.  There is first of all the example of the centurion.  He might not be a Jew, but he shows exemplary character, forming the characteristics of what would later typify a model Christian of the Greco-Roman world.  As my study bible points out, he first of all shows compassion in the love and care of his servant.  But we can also read compassion into the way he treats the Jews of Capernaum, reciprocated in the high regard the elders of the synagogue have for him.  His compassionate character goes hand in hand with his humility before Jesus, and also his understanding of Jesus as a Man of authority and even command.  It shows a kind of sympathy present in such a person who can so clearly see the character of Jesus.  These character traits of compassion and sympathy are closely linked to the great faith which Jesus remarks upon; they go hand in hand with it.  In the story of the widow of Nain who has lost her only son (reported solely in Luke's Gospel), we are told that Jesus is the One who expresses His compassion:  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."   It's a mirror of Christ's compassion at the death of Lazarus and His response to the weeping of the sisters and townspeople (John 11:32-35).  The compassion that is found both in Christ and also in the centurion is a thread necessary to our faith and to the qualities which faith is to develop in us, and upon which it rests.  We should remember that in Matthew's story of the Judgment, the parable of the sheep and the goats, it is compassion and its expression that makes all the difference.  In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus teaches the parable of the Judgment over which He will preside, and the defining characteristic of those destined to inherit the Kingdom is compassion.  Each case which Christ presents to those "sheep" who wonder how they helped Him is a case of the expression of compassion for others.  What that means is that the whole notion of our capacity for compassion becomes absolutely central to our capacity for faith, and for being the persons Christ asks us to become -- and certainly part of the picture of what it means to become "like Christ" or someone closer to "the image and likeness of God" (Genesis 1:26).   Let us remember that it does not require personal perfection to be a compassionate person, nor does it require great accounts of sacrifice and heroism to perform acts of compassion, kindness, grace:  all the things that would define the great mosaic of love in tiny pieces, small acts, seen or unseen by others, known only to the recipient and giver.  Each of these things have meaning, even when and if they are known only to God.  In today's reading, Jesus heals a servant, and He helps a widow.  The acts we do for the "small" in this world count with God.  Let us remember what we are to be about, even when the world won't shout about it.  This is how we show our faith, and how it might be expressed through us that God has visited His people.