A Roman, pagan official, religiously indifferent to the people of God, manifests two important things: love for his neighbor and a faith never seen in Israel.

  

A Roman, pagan official, religiously indifferent to the people of God, manifests two important things: love for his neighbor and a faith never seen in Israel. Faced with an irreversible situation for the contextual reality of that Roman, seeing his employee suffering from paralysis, perhaps the best or one of the best employees, he makes himself available to see him cured. Such an attitude reveals a good, worthy man. Doing good does not depend on institutions, groups, movements, entities, but only on a heart that recognizes its own limitations and the needs of others. Love is universal, it is not tied to anything, it is free in minds and hearts throughout the world. It must only be exercised, put into practice continuously. In the religious world the demand is even greater. And for a disciple, even more so, because love finds its most perfect meaning in Jesus Christ. It is Christ who defines love as total self-giving for the good of another. In this sense, love is oblativity.

The second point is that of faith. That officer truly believed in Jesus Christ. The detail is that he knew of his unworthiness, of his being a sinner, which, in his view, would make it impossible for Jesus to be present in his home, as for him the Word of Jesus would be enough and the miracle would be performed. For him, the Word of Jesus was the Word of Salvation. In the way the text unfolds, it is evident that the Officer demonstrates divine recognition in Jesus Christ, that by giving orders, his will will be fulfilled. Until then, no one believed in Israel that way. That Roman surpassed expectations, the concepts of paganism and the Israeli world, the way of thinking of Greek culture and Roman politics, going beyond the scientific definitions of his time, when he simply abandoned his cause, his objective, his act of love, in the hands of Jesus. Salvation is not tied to Israel, it is not limited to human concepts of religion. There is only salvation where love, truth and life are lived, through a mature, deep faith, with total adherence to God and his work. The fullness of love and life is found in Jesus Christ, the Father's Truth for the salvation of the world. The presence of love in any person, the search for the absolute in all people, the interest in truth in the entire universe and the religious manifestation in people, all of this demonstrates that creation is the work of God's hands; that everything was created through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. The seeds of the Word of the Father are present in all peoples, languages ​​and nations. This Word became flesh and through Him now all of God's work finds its fulfillment. Finding Christ, therefore, the Word of the Father made flesh, is finding God, oneself, others and nature; is finding the true meaning of existence; is to discover God's desire for his creation, especially human beings. After healing the Roman officer's servant, Jesus takes the initiative to heal Peter's mother-in-law and many others who came to Him that afternoon. Jesus' gesture reveals Him as the Servant, the One who makes himself available to the suffering, freeing them from their problems and giving them a new horizon of life. He mixes with everyone, even in the late afternoon, after a long walk, he becomes even more exhausted in serving those in need. On the other hand, his action requires a decisive response from the other. Pedro's mother-in-law, for example, once cured, gets up and starts serving too. "What you have received freely, you must freely give." Thus, we can see the continuity of the Gospel in the lives of those who encounter Jesus. The text of Mt is shorter than that of Lc 4,38-44. In Luke, others ask Jesus on behalf of Peter's mother-in-law. In Mt, Jesus touches his hand; in Luke, He leans over it. Furthermore, Luke adds the adverb “immediately”, emphasizing both the power of Jesus and the willingness of Peter’s mother-in-law to act as a disciple in serving those present. Furthermore, Luke adds information about the Messiah, based on the cry of a demoniac: “You are the Son of God”; the prohibition regarding the fact that he really is the Messiah; moving away to a deserted place; and Jesus' concern with announcing the Kingdom to other cities. Mt concludes by highlighting the reality of Jesus as a Suffering Servant. The gesture of rising up, standing up, indicates the reality of the new, resurrected man, the one who no longer lives by himself, but according to the Spirit of God. In this new condition, he becomes a reflection of the Servant, Jesus Christ, the Lord. It is as if there were no more personal plans, because from now on it is God who determines the best thing to do and the way everything will happen. Clothed with Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit, the renewed person will live in the condition of a servant, focused on the Lord and the saving good of everyone at his side and in his mission. A strong and affectionate hug.