Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 8,5-17

When he 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.' Jesus said to him, 'I will come myself and cure him.' 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, 'In truth I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found faith as great as this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of Heaven; but the children of the kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.' And to the centurion Jesus said, 'Go back, then; let this be done for you, as your faith demands.' And the servant was cured at that moment. And going into Peter's house Jesus found Peter's mother-in-law in bed and feverish. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him. That evening they brought him many who were possessed by devils. He drove out the spirits with a command and cured all who were sick. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: He himself bore our sicknesses away and carried our diseases.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Jesus is coming back into Capernaum and a centurion comes towards him. He is a person who is foreign to the religion and traditions of Israel. This officer has a servant who is at home sick and wracked with pain. And he has decided to speak to Jesus. His heart is full of pain because of his servant's condition. When he has come near to Jesus, he does not ask for his servant to be healed, he just solemnly explains the situation. And seeing the pain in this man's eyes, Jesus is moved and says, "I will come and cure him." But with spontaneous honesty, the centurion says he is not worthy to have the Teacher come into his house. He feels ashamed in front of such a good man. And he speaks those splendid words that we repeat today in the holy liturgy, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed." Twice the centurion addresses Jesus with the title of "Lord." A non-believer, he addresses him with a religious term, in the sense that it reveals his total trust in Jesus: one word is enough for his servant to be healed. Truly this centurion is an example for us. Jesus' comment on his faith could be applied to us, too: "Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith." And he said to the centurion, "Go; let it be done for you according to your faith." "And," the evangelist notes, "the servant was healed in that hour." There is a strength of healing that comes from love that knows now limits or distances. All of Jesus' activity in Capernaum is marked by his closeness to the sick. In this world so deeply marked by Covid 19, he is truly an example. And the day ends with the extraordinary scene of Jesus who heals the many who are "possessed by demons" and are brought to the door of his house. It is a scene that questions our communities: are they like that house in Capernaum whose doors are open to those who need comfort, healing, and salvation? Should not the words of the prophet Isaiah noted by the evangelist not come true in our time: "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."