Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Lectionary: 443

For I too am a person 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.”

Since taking up the practice in a VA hospital, I have come to appreciate the place of the military. Long ago I recognized that we will make war upon one another as long as we continue to sin. We will always need men and women serving their nations and the well being of humanity by military service. We also need pacifists who demand that we develop and use alternatives to war.

Martyrs like Cornelius and Cyprian remind us there are things worth dying for. They surrendered their lives to God who chose to send them into fatal contact with enemies of the Gospel.

The story of Jesus and the centurion, found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, illustrates a particular mystery of Jesus, one which has long fascinated me. The centurion instinctively recognizes a fellow soldier, although Jesus is clearly a civilian.

Obedience is and must be the hallmark of every one who serves in the military. Although different services have different interpretations of obedience, all agree that the ego must take a back seat. United States Marines practice a very rigid obedience, following orders in the strictest fashion from the top down. Israeli soldiers, I understand, are given greater latitude in their reading of and responses to battle conditions.

Obedience is paramount precisely because the warrior has enormous power. He can maim and kill, he can ravage and destroy. The soldier without discipline and loyalty, a maverick, must be neutralized.

MSF Picnic
2013

I speak from my own experience as a priest. I too have terrifying authority. I can consecrate the Blessed Sacrament. I could set up my own church for renegade Catholics who want the Sacrament without the oversight of bishops. Driving around town I see charming little churches that open only for one hour on Sunday morning. I have sometimes thought how pleasant it might be to have a congregation of fifteen or twenty loyal fans. I could draw a stipend from the Sunday collection while working in some other sector of the economy. I could be a bus driver or postal employee without all the hassles of church!

Jesus forbids it. He has authority over me because he remained resolutely obedient to his Father, even as he marched to Jerusalem and Calvary. The centurion understood that. His perspicacity drew an admiring remark from Jesus, “…not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

They understood each other. Each in his manner bowed before the mystery and exigencies of power.