Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
July 27, 2022
The Invitatory
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
The earth is the Lord’s for he made it: Come let us adore him.
Reading: Matthew 27:45-54
From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.’ Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
The crowd has at long last dissipated, and with its departure, the noise has dramatically decreased. The spectacle of the crucifixion is no longer compelling or entertaining. This silence has a cruelty all its own. This is a silence of indifference, a silence far more cruel than one of hatred. At the very center of this silence stands the individual's self-centeredness. This renders this silence very difficult for love, God’s love, to penetrate.
In the midst of this experience one has to wonder how many crucifixions this centurion has witnessed. As a commander of a hundred men, this centurion must have seen many men die in battle. To rise to this office, centurions fought alongside the men whom they commanded. They usually led from the front, occupying a position at the front right of the formation. Thus, in the field they were quite vulnerable to suffering heavy casualties in battle. Death, particularly death that was violent and gruesome, was not a stranger to them. Their training, experience and discipline all contributed to their being impervious to suffering and death.
If the centurion has stood at the foot of this cross for the entire three hours of Jesus’ crucifixion, he has had an intimate experience of this man and his death. He looked on as Jesus bore physical pain and suffering, insults to his person and character, taunting and reviling him. All this Jesus bore in silence. He never responded to the taunts, but he did speak to one of the thieves crucified with him and promised paradise to him. He gave over his life to his Father. Most astounding is that he spoke first of forgiveness to those who did not know what they did. That could mean a great number of people. The poise, the sense of peace and love that flowed from him for those three hours seemed beyond the capability of most persons. So moved by what he has seen and heard that he had never witnessed before, the centurion exclaims, “Certainly, this man was innocent.” And the centurion becomes the only person converted by Christ’s crucifixion. What a surprising moment of understanding! Despite the fact that the centurion was carrying out an unpleasant duty, what he saw and what he heard left an impression upon him. My curiosity leads me to wonder: what next for the Centurion? How does his realization/revelation affect his life and his future? With whom does he discuss or share this experience? Does he carry this experience as a secret for the rest of his life? And then what? How does it affect his other relationships? What does he now think of God and Jesus? But we do not know, for the Gospel does not tell us any more, nor should it.
The question for us is how moved are we. We, too, as witnesses to Calvary, are often moved to sorrow for our sins. We feel remorse, are humbled and even penitent. In this we are much like the bystanders. There is, though, more that is expected of us. Christ has confronted and conquered the worst effects of our sins, He is the embodiment of power, triumph and victory, sufficient to speak into our moment of silence at the cross.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
