How many of us can truly say that we are worthy for the Lord our God to come into our presence? Let alone ask Him for favours? And yet unworthy as we are it is He who loves us first even while we are sinners! He waits patiently for us to turn to Him with faith and contrite hearts; for He will surely heal us. He will answer our prayers even our petitions for others. So will He find in us, such faith and trust in Him today?
It is therefore fitting that having been healed by Him who loves us so; that we go on glorifying our Lord by our lives of service for Him, and our brethren. Amen
First reading
Lamentations 2:2,10-14,18-19
Cry aloud to the Lord, daughter of ZionThe Lord has pitilessly destroyed all the homes of Jacob; in his displeasure he has shattered the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; he has thrown to the ground, he has left accursed the kingdom and its rulers.Mutely they sit on the ground, the elders of the daughter of Zion; they have put dust on their heads, and wrapped themselves in sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem hang their heads down to the ground.My eyes wasted away with weeping, my entrails shuddered, my liver spilled on the ground at the ruin of the daughters of my people, as children, mere infants, fainted in the squares of the Citadel.They kept saying to their mothers, ‘Where is the bread?’ as they fainted like wounded men in the squares of the City, as they poured out their souls on their mothers’ breasts.How can I describe you, to what compare you, daughter of Jerusalem?
Who can rescue and comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For huge as the sea is your affliction; who can possibly cure you?The visions your prophets had on your behalf were delusive, tinsel things,
they never pointed out your sin, to ward off your exile. The visions they proffered you were false, fallacious, misleading.Cry aloud, then, to the Lord, groan, daughter of Zion let your tears flow like a torrent, day and night; give yourself no relief, grant your eyes no rest.Up, cry out in the night-time, in the early hours of darkness; pour your heart out like water before the Lord.
Stretch out your hands to him for the lives of your children who faint with hunger at the entrance to every street.
Gospel
Matthew 8:5-17
‘I am not worthy to have you under my roof: give the word, and my servant will be healed’When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven; but the subjects of the kingdom will be turned out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’ And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go back, then; you have believed, so let this be done for you.’ And the servant was cured at that moment.
And going into Peter’s house Jesus found Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
That evening they brought him many who were possessed by devils. He cast out the spirits with a word and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah:He took our sicknesses away and carried our diseases for us.
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