2025/09/16

213. The Process of Savouring the Experience of the Perfect Christian and the Realisation Gained Thereof 

Reflecting on the previous discussion, we can say that the centurion's words in Matthew and Luke were the words of the centurion at that time, who had no way of knowing God's plan for Rome, as he came to terms with his own faith in Jesus and his position as a Roman soldier. He did not want "those who followed" (Mt 8:10) Jesus or the "multitude" (cf. Lk 7:9), who followed Jesus and the elders, to come to his house. However, when Jesus on the cross breathed his last, the centurion saw what happened there and came to realise that "Truly this was the Son of God!" (Mt 27:54). 

Moreover, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Acts of the Apostles describes the centurion as "a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God" (Acts 10:2). The centurion's interaction with the Apostle Peter (cf. 10:1-48) was the catalyst for the Church's move towards Gentile missionary work. Through the centurion's series of episodes depicted here, we can see the process of savouring the experience of becoming a perfect Christian. That was the power of the grace of one who has perceived Jesus with all five senses. 

We can trace this growth in the centurion's faith in the first half of the Book of Revelation. Chapters 1-3 of Revelation describe, in the form of letters, the angels of the seven churches who try to minister while coming to terms with themselves and the current state of the churches, just as the centurion came to terms with his own position and his faith in Jesus. The prophecy of the formation of the New Testament, which begins in the following chapter 4, brings all who read the New Testament to the cross of Jesus, just as the centurion stood by the cross of Jesus. 

Furthermore, it is at the Mass liturgy that we follow the example of the centurion, who was "a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God." The routine of spiritual training of Revelation is designed to overlap closely with that of Mass Liturgy, supporting and preparing the daily memory of the believers in the period between the end of the Mass and the next Mass. During the Mass Liturgy, the faithful come face to face with the Eucharist. Here, by confessing that the Eucharist is Jesus Christ and by receiving it, they have the same realization as the centurion who said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" Going through this routine is the process of savouring the experience of the perfect Christian and that of the spiritual training of Revelation. 

Just as the centurion's relationship with the Apostle Peter gave the Church the impetus to move towards the mission of the Gentiles, so, as the spiritual training of Revelation supporting mission moves towards the second half, the trainee moves into the process of getting to know himself, distinguishing between the words of revelation that have come into his own memory and "human information." As the trainee repeats the routine of spiritual training of Revelation over and over again, he comes to recognise his gradually revealing self, and the way he sees his surroundings changes. This is where the opportunity to move towards missionary work arises. Moreover, as he becomes more sensitive to "human information" and begins to see its work, he realises the words of Jesus, who testified, "If I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgmen" (Jn 16:7-8) and will have the privilege of collaborating with the Holy Spirit. 

The Father and the Son are waiting for the new prophecy to be proven over us, future believers. The Holy Spirit, sent in the name of Jesus, has therefore prepared the New Testament, including the Book of Revelation, and the Mass Liturgy so that all believers may go through the process of savouring the experience of becoming a perfect Christian and may reach the realisation that comes with it. Hence, the words of Jesus, when he said, "[T]his is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day" (Jn 6:39), belong to many believers who will always remain vulnerable. The words he continued are the hope of humanity: "For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (6:40). 

Maria K.M.