He is a centurion and is therefore at the head of a hundred soldiers. Considering his profession, Corneille is a man of command, serious and firm. However, Corneille is a believer and does not hide it. His faith is contagious: he fears God and manifests it through a life of prayer shared by his entire family, and also by all those who live under his roof. He loves his neighbor and the manifesto of the Jewish community. He is not part of the Judeo-Christian circle. However, he respects the two commandments which summarize the entire law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with your strength and with your mind, and soon you will love yourself.”
Cornelius made the choice to worship the God of Israel. He is a seeker of God. God of the high sky. He sent an angel for him, signifying that all his prayers and offerings were acceptable to him. He also showed him how to know his vision of the Church, the one that intended to be built. The book of Acts reserves a privileged place for the action of the Holy Spirit, for speeches, for dreams and visions.
All of this comes together in chapter 10. Cornelius sees the angel clearly and he hears his name pronounced. It also means that the mission is entrusted to him with great precision. This one accustomed to command does not ask the angel any questions. He complies. With professionalism, he organizes the trip abroad for Pierre: two of his relatives and a soldier in his service for a long time, professing the same thing as him.
Corneille, an archetypal figure of the convert
A human whose relationship with God is based on grace and faith in the resurrected Christ. No need for circumcision. Nor rituals observed by the Judeo-Christian community. For the latter, as for the apostle Peter, it was difficult to form Church with the pagans.Christians. How can we sit at table with pagans who eat everything? How to take communion with the uncircumcised? It was then that a voice said to Peter in this well-known vision: “Come on Peter, kill and eat! » Three times the person concerned refused and finally capitulated. What God has declared pure, man cannot be considered impure. “God said it.” And God confirms his liberation in the Holy Spirit on the Christians gathered at Corneille’s house.
All in the same time discovering that God, in his grace, open the door of salvation to all humanity. The author of the book of Acts immerses the reader in the atmosphere of the emerging Church. According to Professor A. Birmelé, the mutual recognition of communities is a question that arises in the New Testament. Last March, the ISEO conference was entitled “Churches under construction”! The Church is the work of God.
Despite historical quarrels, it is moving towards unity. Factors, dividing factors are NOW, they are divided. Martin Luther resonate in a particular way: “What do you believe about the holy universal Church? From the beginning of the world to the end, the Son of God, by his Spirit and his Word, gathers, protects and restores you from what has become true, what has been done. view of eternal life. Of this community I am a living member and will remain forever. »
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Author Alice Papin
