Blessed Virgin Mary 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Genesis 18:1-15*’

Abra­ham(…..) saw three men

Standing nearby.(……) He bowed to the ground and said, “My Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass your servant by.   Let a little water be brought. Wash your feet and then rest under the trees.  I shall fetch some bread so that you can be refreshed and continue on your way, since you have come to your servant.” They then said, “Do as you say.(……)

 Abraham then ran to the herd, took a fine, tender calf, gave it to the servant who hurried to prepare it.   He took but­ter and milk and together with the calf he had prepared laid it all before them. And while he remained standing, they ate.  They then asked, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” Abraham answered, “She is in the tent.”  And the visitor said, “At this same time next year I will return and Sarah by then will have a son.”(…….)

 

LK 1:46-47, 48-49,50 & 53, 54-55

The Lord has remembered his mercy.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊  

Matthew 8:5-17

When Jesus entered Caper­naum, an army captain approached him to ask his help,   “Sir, my servant lies sick at home. He is paralyzed and suffers terribly.”   Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

 The captain answered, “I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just give an order and my boy will be healed.   For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to one: ‘Go,’ he goes, and if I say to another: ‘Come,’ he comes, and to my servant: ‘Do this,’ he does it.”

 When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those who were following him, “I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel. I say to you, many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven;  but the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness; there they will wail and grind their teeth.”

Then Jesus said to the captain, “Go home now. As you believed, so let it be.” And at that moment his servant was healed.  Jesus went to Peter’s house and found Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with fever.  He took her by the hand and the fever left her; she got up and began to wait on him.

 Towards evening they brought to Jesus many possessed by evil spirits, and with a word he drove out the spirits. He also healed all who were sick.   In doing this he fulfilled what was said by the prophet Isaiah: He bore our infirmities and took on himself our diseases.

 

Gospel Reflection：

The army captain in today’s gospel must be a Roman military official. He comes to Jesus for help. This is something unusual. He is in a position of power and could surely command what he desires. But he took the normal route in accessing the Lord.

And the person he is interceding for is his servant. But he knows the language of power and authority so instead of imposing on the Lord to come to his house, he asks instead that the Lord commands that his servant be healed. Inhere he showed great sensitivity for he knows that pious Jews will never set foot on a pagan’s house no matter how powerful or rich he may be.

The possibility for defilement is huge. Thus we see a sensitive and caring heart in this man. No wonder Jesus acceded to his request. For his heart in the right place.