Only speak the word...

What a remarkable and surprising breath of fresh air is the centurion of Luke's gospel as he, through third parties, seeks the healing of his slave. "Only speak the word..." he counsels Jesus from afar, and across the miles, across whatever differences separate us culturally and spiritually, across the polarizing taboos that keep us from meeting each other face to face, I know my slave will be made well. Just speak the word. The slave, lowest of the low in the human pecking order, is held by the centurion as being highly valued. This might mean he could bring a good price on the auction block, but I believe the centurion holds the slave's life as valuable, as precious, in its own right. Let us speak the word to those our society considers unworthy about how precious they are in our sight. Speak the word to fight against the pervasive reasoning that those at the poorest and least powerful end of the social spectrum don't deserve food stamps and low-income housing and good health care and good education. Speak the word....