Jesus and the Centurion
Veronese
1570-75
Posted on 09/12/2005 8:13:03 AM PDT by Salvation
| Lk 7:1-10 | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
| 1 | And when he had finished all his words in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capharnaum. | cum autem implesset omnia verba sua in aures plebis intravit Capharnaum |
| 2 | And the servant of a certain centurion who was dear to him, being sick, was ready to die. | centurionis autem cuiusdam servus male habens erat moriturus qui illi erat pretiosus |
| 3 | And when he had heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the ancients of the Jews, desiring him to come and heal his servant. | et cum audisset de Iesu misit ad eum seniores Iudaeorum rogans eum ut veniret et salvaret servum eius |
| 4 | And when they came to Jesus, they besought him earnestly, saying to him: He is worthy that thou shouldest do this for him. | at illi cum venissent ad Iesum rogabant eum sollicite dicentes ei quia dignus est ut hoc illi praestes |
| 5 | For he loveth our nation: and he hath built us a synagogue. | diligit enim gentem nostram et synagogam ipse aedificavit nobis |
| 6 | And Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent his friends to him, saying: Lord, trouble not thyself; for I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof. | Iesus autem ibat cum illis et cum iam non longe esset a domo misit ad eum centurio amicos dicens Domine noli vexari non enim dignus sum ut sub tectum meum intres |
| 7 | For which cause neither did I think myself worthy to come to thee: but say the word, and my servant shall be healed. | propter quod et me ipsum non sum dignum arbitratus ut venirem ad te sed dic verbo et sanabitur puer meus |
| 8 | For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers: and I say to one, Go, and he goeth: and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it. | nam et ego homo sum sub potestate constitutus habens sub me milites et dico huic vade et vadit et alio veni et venit et servo meo fac hoc et facit |
| 9 | Which Jesus hearing, marvelled: and turning about to the multitude that followed him, he said: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith, not even in Israel. | quo audito Iesus miratus est et conversus sequentibus se turbis dixit amen dico vobis nec in Israhel tantam fidem inveni |
| 10 | And they who were sent, being returned to the house, found the servant whole who had been sick. | et reversi qui missi fuerant domum invenerunt servum qui languerat sanum |
Jesus and the Centurion
Veronese
1570-75
This episode explains our belief in intercession of saints. Note that the centurion is a righteous man: he built a synagogue and he is perceptive to the divine power of Christ. But the centurion does not pray for himself but rather intercedes for his servant. Whether or not the servant had asked the centurion to ask Christ for help, we see how Christ is ready to answer a prayer of a righteous man, and this is how He answers the prayers of the saints spoken on our behalf.
| Lk 1:39-47 | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
| 39 | And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. | exsurgens autem Maria in diebus illis abiit in montana cum festinatione in civitatem Iuda |
| 40 | And she entered into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth. | et intravit in domum Zacchariae et salutavit Elisabeth |
| 41 | And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. | et factum est ut audivit salutationem Mariae Elisabeth exultavit infans in utero eius et repleta est Spiritu Sancto Elisabeth |
| 42 | And she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. | et exclamavit voce magna et dixit benedicta tu inter mulieres et benedictus fructus ventris tui |
| 43 | And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? | et unde hoc mihi ut veniat mater Domini mei ad me |
| 44 | For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. | ecce enim ut facta est vox salutationis tuae in auribus meis exultavit in gaudio infans in utero meo |
| 45 | And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. | et beata quae credidit quoniam perficientur ea quae dicta sunt ei a Domino |
| 46 | And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. | et ait Maria magnificat anima mea Dominum |
| 47 | And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. | et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo |
Madonna of the Magnificat
Sandro Botticelli
1485
Tempera on Panel, diameter 118 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
I'm not Catholic and don't understand what y'all mean by Mary's sacrifice? Is it that it is believed she had a role in the actual crucifixion and the corresponding forsaken punishment that Christ took on for all of us? I honestly have no idea and am just curious...thanks...
God's Blssings
"What that means is that we are not going before the Lord ourselves. Recognizing ourselves to be unworthy, we will ask someone else to present our prayer before the Lord, That person is Our Lady..."
What does Holy Scripture have to say about this idea that we should ask someone else, Mary, to present our prayer before the Lord?
Let's examine this verse...Ephesians 3:12...
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
and this from 1 John 5:13-15
13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
These passages show that although we are sinful and are unworthy of God because of our sinful ways, we can approach God thru Christ with confidence! What a blessed message indeed!
Mary's sacrifice?
How about watching her son die?
How about hearing the prophecies of Simeon and Anna when Jesus was an infant?
What about losing the child in the temple?
Just some of Mary's sorrows and sacrifices.
Very thorough explanation.
 |
Monday, September 12, 2005 Meditation Luke 7:1-10 Lord, I am not worthy. . . . (Luke 7:6) At Mass, every time we echo the centurion’s prayer, we remind ourselves of our unworthiness to receive something as amazing as the body and blood of Christ. But there’s got to be more to these words than an admission that we have failed to measure up. The gift of the Eucharist is just that: an undeserved gift! Humbling, isn’t it? Even greater, the Eucharist is the very gift that makes us worthy of it! No matter how hard we try, it seems that we fall short of God’s purposes for us. Still, Jesus gives himself to us to heal and strengthen us. And by receiving him with the open, humble heart that this prayer expresses, we invite the Lord to keep working in us. “Keep transforming us, Jesus! Keep making us more and more worthy of the very gift you are giving us!” St. John Vianney, who wrote frequently about Communion, once exhorted his parishioners: “Go to Communion, my children; go to Jesus with love and confidence; go and live upon him, in order to live for him. . . . It is true, you are not worthy of it; but you are in need of it. If our Lord had regarded our worthiness, he would never have instituted his beautiful sacrament of love: for no one in the world is worthy of it, neither the saints, nor the angels, nor the archangels, nor the Blessed Virgin. But he had in view our needs, and we are all in need of it. Do not say that you are sinners, that you are too miserable, and for that reason you do not dare to approach it. I would as soon hear you say that you are very ill, and therefore you will not take any remedy, nor send for the physician.” How beautiful! The more unworthy we are, the more we need to turn to Jesus and become generous recipients of his generosity! We need never hide in shame. We just need to keep following Jesus and making acts of faith like the centurion’s. By cooperating with God, we will become so “worthy” of Christ that our souls “will shine like beautiful diamonds in heaven, because God will be seen in them!” (St. John Vianney). “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” 1 Timothy 2:1-8; Psalm 28:2,7-9 |
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Mary's sacrifice?
What did she sacrifice?
You: How about watching her son die?
This would be a horribly sorrowful experience indeed, no sane person thinks otherwise...however, what did she sacrifice? Her son was the sacrifice, not the other way around...She knew great sadness indeed, however...No mother should have to see what she saw done to her son, but she also knew he was her Savior and knew he had to do this for her and all people...she was told this previously which leads to the next item you asked...
You: How about hearing the prophecies of Simeon and Anna when Jesus was an infant?
That her son would be despised and that her soul would be pierced too? Of course this would be very difficult to hear and to accept (and frankly understand the magnitude of what they prophesied) that her son would be killed... those words would do that to any woman, in fact how many mothers of soldiers do you hear say they died the day their son did...it's a natural reaction to seeing/hearing of one's child die, it truly is piercing to the soul...sorrow yes, sacrifice I don't know that I see sacrifice in that...
You: What about losing the child in the temple?
From Luke 2...
.43After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
49"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
...What would any mother's reaction be to realizing her child is missing, especially with a full day's journey gone by already and three days after that yet? Fear? Panic? Uncertainy? Disbelief? Probably all of those, but again, I fail to see how that is a sacrifice...Jesus was in his Father's house doing his Father's bidding...
You: Just some of Mary's sorrows and sacrifices.
Respectfully...You indeed have pointed out some of the sorrows that Mary most undoubtedly experienced, but I just don't see sacrifice in these examples...I'm trying to understand your point of view so please explain more what you mean by sacrifice...I think that is where our passing ships are getting lost in the fog that currently seperates us...
God's Blessings...
Thank you for the link...it was very thorough...I can better understand your point of view...I can understand and emphtasize the sorrow of Mary and how she suffered (what they called her martyrdom), but this paragraph I did not concur with..
And why, O Lady, didst thou also go to sacrifice thyself on Calvary? Was not a crucified God sufficient to redeem us, that thou, His Mother, wouldst also go to be crucified with Him?" Indeed, the death of Jesus was more than enough to save the world, and an infinity of worlds; but this good Mother, for the love she bore us, wished also to help the cause of our salvation with the merits of her sufferings, which she offered for us on Calvary.
It does properly address Christ's sacrifice but adding to his sacrifice via the merits of her suffering has no basis anywhere...Only Christ provided what is necessary for our salvation...no one else...God sees his perfect sacrifices and justifies us by this sacrifice...Yes, Mary suffered greatly, but only Christ provided our salvation...
Thank you again, I appreciate you providing materials for me to better understand your point of view...God's blessings to you...
Thank you for the link...it was very thorough...I can better understand your point of view...I can understand and emphtasize the sorrow of Mary and how she suffered (what they called her martyrdom), but this paragraph I did not concur with..
And why, O Lady, didst thou also go to sacrifice thyself on Calvary? Was not a crucified God sufficient to redeem us, that thou, His Mother, wouldst also go to be crucified with Him?" Indeed, the death of Jesus was more than enough to save the world, and an infinity of worlds; but this good Mother, for the love she bore us, wished also to help the cause of our salvation with the merits of her sufferings, which she offered for us on Calvary.
It does properly address Christ's sacrifice but adding to his sacrifice via the merits of her suffering has no basis anywhere...Only Christ provided what is necessary for our salvation...no one else...God sees his perfect sacrifices and justifies us by this sacrifice...Yes, Mary suffered greatly, but only Christ provided our salvation...
Thank you again, I appreciate you providing materials for me to better understand your point of view...God's blessings to you...
Hello friend,
Since you're asking a theological question, I'm going to refer your question to Salvation, the List Mom, for her to answer. She'll give you good guidance in your faith walk.
Salvation, could you kindly preview Post 26 of this thread and respond?
That artwork is breathtakingly beautiful. Thanks for posting.
Catholic Culture bump.
Bumping this thread in the hope that it reaches someone who has never before opened up a Catholic Daily Caucus thread.
I didn't know that. One learns something new every day, esp. thru this Daily Caucus thread!
In the reading of Jesus and the Centurion, we see an example of the Lord responding to earnest and fervent prayer. May this lesson give us hope for the prayers we ourselves send heavenward.
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