The Faith of the Centurion

Today’s reading of the Roman Centurion reminds me of our own faith as a Filipino nation. But for the grace of God, we could have been a Muslim nation just like much of Southeast Asia. When the Spaniards came to the Philippines, they were totally surprised to see Mohammedans whom they had to fight in their own country before they could become one nation themselves. We sometimes call our Muslim brothers ‘moros’ after the Moors of Andaluz and Granada in Southern Spain. But when the Spanish missionaries, for all the bad press they got from Rizal’s novels, proclaimed the gospel to our ancestors; the latter embraced the good news of Christ with alacrity. In the fashion of the proverbial Filipino hospitality, our ancestors welcomed the Santo Nino and his mother into their humble homes. I could imagine them praying the words of the Centurion: “Lord, we are not worthy that you should enter under our roof; but only say the word and our souls shall be saved.” Today, through this faith that our forefathers have handed down to us, the Philippines and the Filipinos are a beacon of Christian faith in the Far East. In recent days, we have been blessed so richly with the canonization of St. Pedro Calunsod and the elevation as Cardinal of Archbishop Chito Tagle. Deo gratias!

When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 8:5-11

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