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For the gospel teaches you henceforth to pray thus: Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. As, therefore, you seek philanthropy from God, so also you should dispense philanthropy to your fellow men. But when he heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews. Having heard what? That by a word he heals, by a word he gives life to the dead, by a word he drives out demons, by a word he accomplishes all things. For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. He brings no herbs, no medicines, but a word is sent from him, and it accomplishes the work. See how great the difference is between the centurion and the Jews. The one, having heard, from mere hearing alone 61.770 believed, and having believed, he approached him as God; but the others, seeing the miracles with their own eyes, denied the miracle-worker; and yet sight is more effective than hearing. Sight is indeed more effective than hearing, but they had wickedness as the teacher of their disease. For this reason, being blind in judgment, they scorned the judge. He sent, it says, elders of the Jews, asking him that he might go and save his servant. He sent elders to him, not refusing to go himself out of arrogance, but hesitating to intercede himself for himself because of the greatness of his rank. He knew himself to be a man from a corruptible man, but Jesus to be God from God, the only-begotten Son from the unbegotten Father. Therefore, moved by reverence, he sends the elders of the Church, fulfilling the apostolic precepts before the apostles: Is any among you afflicted? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore he sent the elders to him, asking him that he might come and save his servant. But you should also admire the man's compassion; for when his servant was sick he did not despise him, but showed as much concern as one would show when suffering for oneself. These things belong to a man who looks to virtue, to show such great concern, and to send an embassy for the healing of a servant.

He knew the equality of nature; and he neither despised him as a slave, but sympathized with him as a fellow servant, knowing that God is common to all. But such was the centurion. But many of the rich demand services from the healthy without excuse, but take no thought for them when they are sick; but when sickness befalls, with the maidservant thrown on the ground, the master pays no heed, the mistress does not visit; and if ever the mistress should approach, she does not visit as one of her own kind, but regards her with a stern gaze, speaks to her with a harsh word, denying the kinship of nature through the pomp of arrogance. And you read the Scriptures. Do you not know what the holy David says? Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God. Be abashed at the image, reverence what is written, condescend to be a helper of the one who is sick. The Savior, the only-begotten Son of God, was pleased to become man for the sake of men; do you, being a man, refuse one of equal station as not of equal station, do you refuse compassion for your kindred nature? And when an irrational animal is lame, you take care of it for its utility; but when the rational one, that is, your servant, is sick, you cast him off and take no thought. Do you overlook that the one serving you is rational? For this reason we are jealous. Man is very good in God's sight; but a merciful man is honorable. But we do not pay attention to what is written, but sometimes we feed those outside, hunting for glory from men, while we allow those inside to perish with hunger, and to be stiff with the cold, not considering the recompense from God. But the centurion was not such a man, being sober in all things, truly possessing, guarding both his possession and himself, as a possession of God, one full of prudence and illumined by divine temperance.

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∆ιδάσκει γάρ σε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον λοιπὸν οὕτω προσεύχεσθαι· Ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν. Ὡς οὖν παρὰ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν ζητοῦντες, οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς φιλανθρωπίαν νείματε τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις. Ἀκούσας δὲ περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἀπέστειλε πρὸς αὐτὸν πρεσβυτέρους τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Τί ἀκούσας; Ὅτι λόγῳ θεραπεύει, λόγῳ τεθνεῶτας ζωογονεῖ, λόγῳ δαίμονας ἀπελαύνει, λόγῳ τὰ πάντα διανύει. Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐνεργὴς, καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον. Οὐ βοτάνας, οὐ φάρμακα προσάγει, ἀλλὰ λόγος παρ' αὐτοῦ πέμπεται, καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐπιτελεῖ. Βλέπε πόση ἡ μεταξὺ τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων διαφορά. Ὁ μὲν ἀκούσας, ἐκ μόνης ψιλῆς ἀκοῆς ἐπί 61.770 στευσε, καὶ πιστεύσας ὡς Θεῷ προσῆλθεν· οἱ δὲ, ἐπ' ὄψει ὁρῶντες τὰ θαύματα, τὸν θαυματοποιὸν ἠρνοῦντο· καίτοι ὄψις ἀκοῆς ἐνεργεστέρα. Ἐνεργεστέρα μὲν ὄψις ἀκοῆς, ἀλλὰ κακίαν εἶχον τῆς νόσου διδάσκαλον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τυφλοὶ τῇ κρίσει τὸν κριτὴν ἐξουθένουν. Ἀπέστειλε φησὶ, πρεσβυτέρους τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἐρωτῶν αὐτὸν, ὅπως ἀπελθὼν διασώσῃ τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ. Ἀπέστειλε πρὸς αὐτὸν πρεσβυτέρους, οὐ δι' ὑπεροψίαν παραιτούμενος αὐτὸς ἀπελθεῖν, ἀλλ' ὀκνῶν αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ πρεσβεύειν διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ ἀξιώματος. Ἤδει ἑαυτὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐξ ἀνθρώπου φθαρτοῦ, Ἰησοῦν δὲ Θεὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ, μονογενῆ Υἱὸν ἐξ ἀγεννήτου Πατρός. ∆ιὸ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπ' εὐλαβείας κινούμενος ἀποστέλλει, τὰ ἀποστολικὰ πρὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων πληρῶν· Ἀθυμεῖ τις; προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ προσεύξωνται ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐὰν ᾖ ἁμαρτίας πεποιηκὼς, συγχωρηθήσονται αὐτῷ. Ἀπέστειλεν οὖν τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἐρωτῶν αὐτὸν ὅπως ἐλθὼν διασώσῃ τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ. Σὺ δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς συμπάθειαν θαύμαζε· κάμνοντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ οἰκέτου οὐ κατεφρόνει, ἀλλὰ σπουδὴν τοσαύτην ἐτίθετο, ὁπόσην ἄν τις ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ πάσχων ἐπεδείκνυτο. Ταῦτα δὲ πρὸς ἀρετήν ἐστι βλέποντος ἀνδρὸς, τοσαύτην ποιήσασθαι σπουδὴν, καὶ πρεσβείαν στείλασθαι ὑπὲρ οἰκέτου θεραπείας.

Ἤδει τῆς φύσεως τὸ ἰσότιμον· καὶ οὔτε κατεφρόνει ὡς ἀνδραπόδου, ἀλλὰ συνέπασχεν ὡς συνδούλῳ, εἰδὼς ὅτι κοινὸς ἁπάντων ἐστὶν ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτος μὲν ἦν ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος. Πολλοὶ δὲ τῶν πλουσίων παρὰ μὲν ὑγιαινόντων ἀπαιτοῦσι τὰς ὑπηρεσίας δίχα συγγνώμης, νοσούντων δὲ οὐδεμίαν φροντίδα τίθενται· ἀλλὰ προσπεσούσης νόσου, τῆς παιδίσκης χαμαὶ ἐῤῥιμμένης, οὐ προσέχει ὁ δεσπότης, οὐκ ἐπισκέπτεται δέσποινα· κἄν ποτε δέῃ τὴν δέσποιναν παραβαλεῖν, οὐκ ἐπισκέπτεται ὡς ὁμογενῆ, ἀλλὰ βλοσυρῷ προσέχει τῷ βλέμματι, αὐστηρῷ προσδιαλέγεται ῥήματι, δι' ὄγκον ὑπερηφανίας τὸ συγγενὲς ἀρνουμένη τῆς φύσεως. Καὶ ἀναγινώσκετε τὰς Γραφάς. Οὐκ οἴδατε τί φησιν ὁ ἅγιος ∆αυΐδ; Ἰδοὺ ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ δούλων εἰς χεῖρας τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν, ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ παιδίσκης εἰς χεῖρας τῆς κυρίας αὐτῆς, οὕτως οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν. ∆υσωποῦ τὴν εἰκόνα, εὐλαβήθητι τὰ γεγραμμένα, ἐπίκουρος τῆς ἀσθενούσης κατάβηθι. Ὁ Σωτὴρ, Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ μονογενὴς, ἄνθρωπος ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων ηὐδόκησε γενέσθαι· σὺ ἄνθρωπος ὢν παραιτῇ τὸν ὁμότιμον ὡς οὐκ ἰσότιμον, παραιτῇ τὸ συμπαθὲς περὶ τὴν συγγενῆ φύσιν; Καὶ ὅτε μὲν ἄλογον ζῶον χωλεύει, ἐπιμελῇ διὰ τὴν χρείαν· ὅτε δὲ τὸ λογικὸν, τουτέστιν, ὁ σὸς οἰκέτης ἀσθενεῖ, ἀποῤῥίπτεις καὶ οὐ προνοεῖς. Περιορᾷς ὅτι λογικόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπηρετοῦν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ζηλοτυποῦμεν. Πολὺ καλὸν ἄνθρωπος παρὰ Θεῷ· ἀλλὰ τίμιον ἀνὴρ ἐλεήμων. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ προσέχομεν τοῖς γεγραμμένοις, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν ἔξωθεν τρέφομεν ἔσθ' ὅτε τὴν παρ' ἀνθρώπων δόξαν θηρώμενοι, τοὺς δὲ ἔνδον ἐῶμεν λιμῷ φθείρεσθαι, καὶ τῷ κρύει πήγνυσθαι, τὰς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνταποδόσεις οὐκ ἐννοοῦντες. Ἀλλ' οὐ τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος, ὁ πανταχοῦ νήφων, ὁ ὄντως κεκτημένος, τὸ κτῆμά τε καὶ ἑαυτὸν φυλάττων, ὡς Θεοῦ κτῆμα, ὁ φρονήσεως γέμων καὶ θείᾳ σωφροσύνῃ καταυγαζόμενος.