The Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion.
Philippians 1:20-27; Luke 6:12-19.
Read Luke 6:12-19
Luke tells us that before choosing the Twelve, Jesus spent the night in prayer (6:12). He did not consult polls, follow sentiment, or seek broad representation. He prayed to the Father and chose those He desired. Jesus was exclusive, not egalitarian. His call was not democratic, but divine.
Having formed His disciples, Jesus descended into the thick of the people (6:17). He did not remain in an office, issuing decrees from a distance. He stood among the sick, the tormented, the poor, and the broken. He touched their wounds. He allowed their hands to reach for Him. He was not aloof, but present.
And what did He do there? He healed. Luke says, “power came forth from him and healed them all” (6:19). Jesus did not offer abstract counsel about mental states or shifting cultural pressures. He healed real bodies, opened blind eyes, loosened mute tongues, and made the lame walk. His care was not theoretical—it was tangible, physical, undeniable.
Moreover, He refused to explain away human suffering as the result of socio-political stresses. Instead, He named and expelled the deeper reality: the presence of demons. He confronted the kingdom of darkness directly. He showed that beneath many visible troubles lies the hand of the evil one. And He cast them out by His word, revealing that God’s kingdom is stronger.
All this was not mere kindness. It was truth. Jesus preached the truth even when it offended the powerful. This passage also confronts us: what among His example here corrects our modern experience of the Church? He prayed before choosing, not balancing factions. He lived among people, not behind offices. He healed real wounds, named real demons, and preached unvarnished truth. That is the standard He set—and it remains the measure for His Church today.