Saturday 27th June Feria
Gospel Reading – Matthew 8:5-17
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour his servant was healed.
Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.
The Gospel of the Lord
The Mass intention is for Benefactors of the Parish and Diocese
Reflection
We see in today’s gospel story Jesus is acknowledged as a teacher and a healer. In his teaching he contrasts the faith of the centurion with the lack of faith in Israel. The kind of faith that Jesus demands of Israel, and shown through the centurion, is that of a faith which has no conditions. Through Jesus we are shown that there are no conditions for the care and mercy that God has for each of us. He heals with a touch, with a word, by being present to the pain of the situation in front of him. Jesus responded to the call of the centurion and recognised his faith that is now incorporated into the liturgy.
We also see how the power of God, though Jesus, made its way into the lives of the centurion, of Peter’s mother-in-law, of those possessed by demons and those who were witnesses to these miracles. We read that ‘when evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and he healed all the sick’.
Jesus was active in working with those who suffered. He could understand and be present to the suffering. Everything that Jesus did was a manifestation of God. This quality of God is found in our humanity. It is there for us to express in our daily living. Jesus was out to serve, not to impress. In this story Jesus gave without fuss and with utter simplicity.
- Do you have faith like the Centurion did in Jesus?
- Do you believe Jesus can bring healing to your Soul?
Fr John
