Acts 10:1-7 Cornelius
10 At Caesare′a there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror, and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa, and bring one Simon who is called Peter; 6 he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those that waited on him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
Saint Luke devotes almost two whole chapters to Cornelius—an Italian, the first Gentile convert to Christ. Such was the impact of these events on the life of the early Church, which up to this point was made up entirely of Jews.
Many associate Orthodoxy with absence of change, but here at the very beginning was a change that permanently marked the community. And also divided it. The Jerusalem community continued to be guided by the Jewish Law, which strictly prohibited the mixing of Jews and Gentiles. As Peter later told Cornelius and his household, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit any one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28.)
Non-Jews were welcome to worship in the Temple and synagogues on the margins as “God-fearers” like Cornelius, but few men took the step of being circumcised and converting. Nor was this encouraged. And those who did convert were expected to practice the Jewish Law. This was the standard too for those who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. It was unthinkable that a convert to the way of Christ would not keep the Jewish Law. To suggest otherwise would be a radical break from the inherited tradition.
So the divinely inspired events recounted here with Cornelius and Peter set the stage for the first cataclysm to shake the Church. This provoked the “Apostolic Council” of Acts 15 concerning how Gentiles should be received into the Church and what manner of life would be expected of them. Despite the liberal decision there, the question remained divisive as we see especially in Saint Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
According to tradition Cornelius the Centurion went on to accompany Peter in his apostolic labors, was later made first bishop of Caesarea and suffered for preaching Christ. His feastday is September 13.
Troparion — Tone 4
O Blessed Cornelius, / You were distinguished in works of righteousness. / You received the enlightenment of godliness, / And were a fellow-laborer with the Apostles, / For you shared in their work, / Preaching Christ’s incarnation to all. / With them pray that all who honor your memory may be saved!
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Saint John Chrysostom is especially drawn to Cornelius’ example of devotion (to God, to family and to soldiers), prayer and almsgiving, and all this coming from someone uncircumcised and outside the boundaries of the Chosen People.
Saint John Chrysostom (from Homily XXII on Acts 10:1-4)
“A devout man,” it says, “and one that feared God with all his house.” Let us hear this, whoever of us neglect those of our own house, whereas this man cared for his soldiers too. “And gave alms,” it says, “to all the people.” Both his doctrines and his life were right…
“A just man,” it says, “fearing God; devout” and what is more than this, with all his house. Not as we who do everything in order that our servants may be afraid of us, but not that they may be devout…Not so this man; but he was “one that feared God with all his house” for he was as the common father of those with him, and of all the others under his command.
… For what if he was uncircumcised? No, for even those who are circumcised give him a good report. There is nothing like alms: great is the virtue of this practice, when alms are poured forth from a pure fountain…it is as a limpid and pure stream in a paradise, sweet to the sight, sweet to the touch, both light and cool, when given in the noon-day heat. Such are alms. …This is the fountain by which the plant of love is nourished: for nothing is so likely to nourish love, as being merciful… If you want God to rain down His mercy upon you as from fountains, then you also should have this fountain of alms.
And yet there is no comparison between God’s fountain and yours: for if you open the mouths of this fountain of alms, such are the mouths of God’s Fountain as to surpass every abyss. God does but seek to get an opportunity on our part, and pours forth from His storehouses His blessings. …
Fountains are most often found in solitary places: let us withdraw our soul from the crowd, and alms will gush out with us. Fountains, the more they are cleaned, the more abundantly they flow: so with us, the more we spend, the more all good grows.
He that has a fountain, has nothing to fear: then neither let us be afraid. For indeed this fountain is serviceable to us for drink, for irrigation, for building, for everything. There is nothing better than this drink: it is not possible for this to inebriate. Better to possess such a fountain, than to have fountains running with gold.
…Then let us not neglect so great wealth, but contribute our alms with generosity, that we may be found worthy of the mercy of God, by the grace and tender compassion of His only begotten Son, with Whom to the Father and Holy Spirit together be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Update
We had a full day yesterday at the Chancery. In the morning Father John Behr, Father Chad Hatfield and Father Alexander Rentel came from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary to meet with Metropolitan Tikhon, Father Eric and me to discuss pastoral placements and plans for the coming year. In the afternoon His Beatitude and the officers (including Melanie Ringa) met with Archivist Alexis Liberovsky and a consultant to discuss steps for the better preservation and housing of the archives.
This morning His Beatitude and the officers, together with Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak (personal secretary to the Metropolitan) will travel to Washington DC for events around tomorrow’s March for Life.