Marcus: The Centurion's Journey to Faith - Episode #3

Journal Entry - Monday, August 17, 26 A.D.

Journal Entry - Marcus the Centurion
Date: Monday, August 17, 26 A.D. (Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Agrippa, 778 Ab urbe condita)

It’s strange how certain memories refuse to fade, no matter how much time passes. Here in Judea, far from the familiar streets of Rome, I find my mind returning to a memory I’ve tried to bury for years. My friend Titus. I haven’t thought about him in a long time, but this past week, his face keeps appearing in my mind. Perhaps it’s this land, the way it makes a man confront parts of himself he thought he’d left behind. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been thinking a lot about the things we do to become soldiers—the sacrifices we make, the people we lose along the way.

Titus was my closest friend during training. We grew up together in the same district of Rome, our families bound by generations of military service. Our fathers fought together, and when the time came, we followed in their footsteps. We were both eager, both young, and like all young men, we thought ourselves invincible. Looking back, I realize how foolish we were, how naive. But at the time, we believed we were destined for greatness.