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 a soul  accomplish  its  earthly  mission  without  its  body. What reverence  for  these  forms  does  Christ  inculcate in the  leper's  cure! In the  fourteenth  chapter  of  Leviticus are  set  forth  the  rites  employed  in  the  official cleansing of  a  leper — washings,  ceremonies  and  sacrifices most  complex,  lasting  no  less  than  eight  days. The leper  in  question  (for  that  he  was  self-willed  is evident  from  his  disobediently  blazing  abroad  the miracle)  may  have  thought:  "Why  show  myself  to the  priests,  or  lose  time  and  money  in  useless  forms, now  that  my  cure  is  beyond  all  doubt?  "  But  it  was not his  to  question  but  to  obey,  even  as  it  was  not  his to inquire  why  the  Lord,  in  effecting  his  cure,  preferred to  employ  the  seemingly  needless  ceremonies of stretching  forth  His  hand  and  touching  him  and saying: "  I  will,  be  thou  made  clean." So, too,  a penitent  duly  absolved  may  think  it  is  useless  labor  to afterwards  confess  sins  inadvertently  omitted,  yet such is  the  Church's  law,  and  as  a  true  Christian  and soldier of  Jesus  Christ  he  is  bound  to  unquestioningly obey. The bluff  soldier  of  Capharnaum,  the  centurion, pagan  though  he  was,  is  a  striking  example  of respect  for  authority. Verily, h&gt;e  was  the  noblest Roman of  them  all! He was  a  commanding  officer  of the  local  garrison,  a  God-fearing  man,  who,  though a Gentile,  was  so  strongly  attracted  by  the  religion of Israel  that  he  had  built  a  synagogue  for  the  Jews of Capharnaum. An attendant  whom  he  loved,  a Jew  probably,  grown  old  in  his  service,  was  ill  of  the palsy, and  the  centurion,  deeming  himself  unworthy to approach  the  Christ,  sent  the  elders  of  the synagogue to  beg  for  a  cure. To his  amaze-