Daily Liturgy
Saturday 26 June
TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
GOD AS VISITOR, GREAT FAITH
Introduction
Our first reading in Year I speaks of the wonderful visit of God to Abraham to confirm his promise. The monk Andrei Rublev used this scene for his famous icon of the Blessed Trinity. God invites himself in our lives. Do we recognize and receive him?
At a mere word of Jesus, the health of the centurion’s servant is restored in response to the marvelous faith of the pagan centurion. He is a model of faith to all of us. His faith makes him worthy to take his place at the table of the kingdom.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God,
you come and visit us
often when we are not aware of your coming.
Make us aware of your presence,
that we may eagerly receive you
and be enriched by your visit.
Make us highly appreciate your hospitality
when you set for us the table
of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1: Gen 18:1-15
The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oak of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot. Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground, he said: “Sir, if it please you, do not go on past your servant. Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest under the tree. Now that you have come to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way.” “Very well,” they replied, “do as you have said.”
Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick, three measures of bran flour! Knead it and make bread.” He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it. Then he got some curds and milk, as well as the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them, waiting on them under the tree while they ate.
“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There in the tent,” he replied. One of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son.” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, just behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years, and Sarah had stopped having her menstrual periods. So Sarah laughed to herself and said, “Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, am I still to have sexual pleasure?” But the LORD said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really bear a child, old as I am?’ Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But he said, “Yes, you did.”
Responsorial Psalm: Lk 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55
R: The Lord has remembered his mercy.
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
R: The Lord has remembered his mercy.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
R: The Lord has remembered his mercy.
His mercy is from age to age
to those who fear him.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
R: The Lord has remembered his mercy.
He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
R: The Lord has remembered his mercy.
Alleluia: Mt 8:17
Alleluia, alleluia
Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases
Alleluia, alleluia
Gospel: Mt 8:5-17
When he 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 person 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.
The Cure of Peter’s Mother-in-Law. 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.
Other Healings. 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.”
Intentions
– That all the peoples of the earth may hear where the Lord can be found, come to know his name and pray to him, we pray:
– That we may care for the sick and bring them healing and strength by our friendship and encouraging words, we pray:
– That we may welcome foreigners and strangers in our Christian communities and invite them to form community with us, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God of all people,
we bring bread and wine before you
to celebrate our gratitude to you
as we are gathered around Jesus, your Son.
For in him, you have accepted us.
From his hospitable table
may men and women from all peoples and cultures
eat his bread of life
and drink his wine of joy,
that all may know your name
and praise your healing love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Father in heaven,
we thank you that your Son
has spoken his healing word to us
even though we are not worthy.
May he find great faith in us.
We also thank you
that the promise of Jesus has been fulfilled:
Many have come from east and west
to eat from the same table with your people,
as they have joined us in the Eucharist.
Accept our thanks
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
May the Lord speak to us also the words he spoke to the centurion when we sincerely pray to him: “Let it be done for you according to your faith,” and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
The power of God is highlighted in today’s readings. The three men who visit Abram mediate the one God, the principal actor. Abram and his wife were well beyond the age of beginning a family. When Sarai overhears the guests speaking of her forthcoming birth, she laughs. The story itself reflects norms of ancient hospitality. After the guests are treated to a fine meal, one of them indicates that upon his return within a year, Sarai will have a child.
In the Gospel story of the Roman centurion, the soldier requests Christ to cure his servant, even though he knows that, by their law, Jews were not free to enter the homes of Gentiles. Jesus replies that he is willing to come and cure the servant. Jesus marvels at the man’s belief and commitment to his servant, signs of true good will. The servant is healed without Jesus’ physical presence.
While in Capernaum, Jesus also heals Peter’s mother-in-law, who then gets out of bed and starts to serve her guests. This is the model for all Christians: having been saved by Christ, we must now serve others.
After the healing of the servant, Jesus reflects on the future makeup of the kingdom. Some will enter to take their place with the great patriarchs, while others will continue to resist. Those who were excluded from society because of their love of Christ will enter the heavenly kingdom.
It is the power of God that colors both readings, a God for whom nothing is impossible. It is a valuable lesson to retain, especially when we think our human resources have been exhausted.
Points to Ponder
The birth of Isaac and the seemingly impossible
The respect of the centurion
The kingdom of God and the Gentiles