Jesus proclaims through His words and deeds God's nearness to his people and God's tender compas-sion for us in our struggles.

In the Gospel, Jesus responds to the Roman centuri-on. This man was not a Jew, yet he moves Jesus to want to help him. The centurion was a man of authority and high esteem among his soldiers. He had served and had received the trust of leadership.

One thing that impressed Jesus about this leader, the centurion, was his attitude to his servant who was sick. He loved his servant and wanted him to be well. This moved Jesus because in his day servants were treated as property, as things. They were given no more compassion from their masters than a piece of furniture. This centurion was different, however, in the way he treated his servant. The love this man had for his ser-vant moved Jesus to see that there was something dif-ferent about him.

What also impressed Jesus about this leader was the faith he displayed in Jesus' power. He believed that Jesus didn't even have to come near to his servant to heal him. The centurion knew the Jewish teachings well. He, therefore, knew that it was not permitted for Jesus, a Jew, to enter the house of this gentile without making himself ritually unclean. The man, therefore, displayed his faith in Jesus' power, and at the same time, showed his sensitivity to the religious beliefs of the Jewish people.