First reading 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Pray for everyone to God, who wants everyone to be saved
My advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone – petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving – and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. To do this is right, and will please God our saviour: he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth. For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus, who sacrificed himself as a ransom for them all. He is the evidence of this, sent at the appointed time, and I have been named a herald and apostle of it and – I am telling the truth and no lie – a teacher of the faith and the truth to the pagans.
In every place, then, I want the men to lift their hands up reverently in prayer, with no anger or argument.
Responsorial Psalm 27(28):2,7-9
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my cry.
Hear the voice of my pleading
as I call for help,
as I lift up my hands in prayer
to your holy place.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts.
I was helped, my heart rejoices
and I praise him with my song.
The Lord is the strength of his people,
a fortress where his anointed find salvation.
Save your people; bless Israel your heritage.
Be their shepherd and carry them for ever.
Gospel Luke 7:1-10
Give the word, and my servant will be healed
When Jesus had come to the end of all he wanted the people to hear, he went into Capernaum. A centurion there had a servant, a favourite of his, who was sick and near death. Having heard about Jesus he sent some Jewish elders to him to ask him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus they pleaded earnestly with him. ‘He deserves this of you’ they said ‘because he is friendly towards our people; in fact, he is the one who built the synagogue.’ So Jesus went with them, and was not very far from the house when the centurion sent word to him by some friends: ‘Sir,’ he said ‘do not put yourself to trouble; because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and for this same reason I did not presume to come to you myself; but give the word and let my servant 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 these words he was astonished at him and, turning round, said to the crowd following him, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found faith like this.’ And when the messengers got back to the house they found the servant in perfect health.
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A person of great faith
Today’s passage presents a Roman centurion who cared for his servant who was sick and in great agony. Instead of disregarding the sick servant as a liability, the centurion felt compassion for him. When he heard that Jesus was in town, he sent some people to ask Jesus to heal his servant. Knowing that Jews would usually not like to enter into the house of a Gentile, he sent word to Jesus saying, “‘Sir, do not put yourself to any trouble because I am not worthy to have you under my roof…let my boy be cured by your giving the word…”. His words reveal the great confidence he had in Jesus. The centurion knew that Jesus’ word had the power to heal. Jesus was surprised by the trust displayed by the centurion. He recognised that his faith surpassed what He had ever seen in anyone from Israel.
Today, let us learn from this Roman centurion by approaching Jesus with confident trust and not with doubt or fear. We pray, “Lord, just say a word. I trust in the power of your word. You know what I truly need. Just say a word, I will be healed.”
Reflective question:
What prevents me from going to Jesus with confident trust?
What prevents me from going to Jesus with confident trust?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
