Article May 21, 2012 Issue

Humility–fertile ground for healing and harmony

An experience during military service showed God's power and the power of humility to bring healing answers.

Benoît Fauchon

This article first appeared in the French edition of The Herald of Christian Science, Le Héraut de la Science Chrétienne.

A very long time ago, a Roman centurion, a man endowed with power by virtue of his rank as commander of a troop of about 100 men, submitted to the orders of one man. He recognized that the commands of this man, Christ Jesus, had a power higher than his own, and he trusted that these words would heal his servant, because he knew that his own orders, as a commander, were heeded and obeyed. And the servant was healed right then. This account is found in the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible, in chapter eight.

Much earlier still, the Bible speaks of another powerful man, Naaman, who was the head of the Syrian army, but had leprosy. This man learned a great lesson in humility. Solely on the recommendation of a young girl, a captive Israelite, he agreed to go to the prophet Elisha to be cured by him. Elisha did not talk to Naaman in person. He only sent his servant to tell Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River. After his initial disappointment at not seeing the prophet, Naaman finally decided to do as he was told. As a result, he regained his pure skin (see II Kings, chap. 5.)

In both cases, the humility shown by these high-ranking men opened the door to healing. In fact, both of them acknowledged that there existed a power far greater than any they had known and exercised thus far.