20210626 IS ANYTHING TOO WONDERFUL FOR THE LORD?
26 June, 2021, Saturday, 12th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Genesis 18:1-15 © |
'Next year your wife Sarah will have a son'
The Lord appeared to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre while he was sitting by the entrance of the tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up, and there he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, and bowed to the ground. ‘My lord,’ he said ‘I beg you, if I find favour with you, kindly do not pass your servant by. A little water shall be brought; you shall wash your feet and lie down under the tree. Let me fetch a little bread and you shall refresh yourselves before going further. That is why you have come in your servant’s direction.’ They replied, ‘Do as you say.’
Abraham hastened to the tent to find Sarah.’ ‘Hurry,’ he said ‘knead three bushels of flour and make loaves.’ Then running to the cattle Abraham took a fine and tender calf and gave it to the servant, who hurried to prepare it. Then taking cream, milk and the calf he had prepared, he laid all before them, and they ate while he remained standing near them under the tree.
‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ they asked him. ‘She is in the tent’ he replied. Then his guest said, ‘I shall visit you again next year without fail, and your wife will then have a son.’ Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well on in years, and Sarah had ceased to have her monthly periods. So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ‘Now that I am past the age of child-bearing, and my husband is an old man, is pleasure to come my way again!’ But the Lord asked Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Am I really going to have a child now that I am old?” Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the same time next year I shall visit you again and Sarah will have a son.’ ‘I did not laugh’ Sarah said, lying because she was afraid. But he replied, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Luke 1:46-50,53-55 © |
The Lord remembered his mercy.
My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
The Lord remembered his mercy.
He looks on his servant in her nothingness;
henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me.
Holy his name!
The Lord remembered his mercy.
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear him.
He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
The Lord remembered his mercy.
He protects Israel, his servant,
remembering his mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons for ever.
The Lord remembered his mercy.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt8:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
He took our sicknesses away,
and carried our diseases for us.
Alleluia!
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.
IS ANYTHING TOO WONDERFUL FOR THE LORD?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Gn 18:1-15; Luke 1:46-50,53-55; Mt 8:5-17]
When the Lord told Abraham that his wife would have a son by the following year, Sarah laughed to herself saying, “Now that I am past the age of child-bearing, and my husband is an old man, is pleasure to come my way again!” She just could not believe that it was possible unless God intervened. We too would also think in this manner if we were in her position, for Abraham was nearly 100 and Sarah 90. It is unbelievable and science would also be mystified today that such a conception could take place. Indeed, many of us tend to restrict the power of God. We do not believe in miracles. We think God will only act according to natural laws and is bound by the laws of nature. God can do the impossible. This has been demonstrated so often in the biblical stories. This was why the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Am I really going to have a child now that I am old?’ Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the same time next year, I shall visit you again and Sarah will have a son.'”
Against such a restricted view of God’s omnipotence, we have the exemplary faith of the Centurion who was a Gentile! He was not a Jew but his faith in God and in Jesus exceeded the faith of the Jews who claimed to believe in the power of God. St Matthew noted that 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 on 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.”
Indeed, we might be Catholics and claim to be faith-believers but often those outside our faith and not baptized have greater faith in our prayers and the powerful intercession of our Blessed Virgin Mary and the healing power of our Lord. There many non-Catholics who believe that our God can heal and many of them when being prayed over, surrender themselves in faith. It is our Catholics that lack faith in miracles and in the power of healing. Many, instead of turning to Jesus, turn to other religions and faith healers or New Age healing. Even though they are supposed to have faith in Jesus, their lives contradict what they believe. They are like Sarah who denied she laughed because she was afraid. But God knows us better, just as He said to Sarah, “Oh yes, you did laugh.” Indeed, it was too good to be true.
But for the Centurion, his faith was far beyond ours. As a Gentile, he puts us all to shame. When he came to Jesus for help to heal his servant who was “lying at home paralyzed, and in great pain”, Jesus said, “I will come myself and cure him.” But the Centurion said, “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 I 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.” He knew that Jesus who was the messenger of God and under the authority of God would be able to execute the power of God wherever He was. Because He was working under God’s authority, he presumed that Jesus would have the power to heal from afar and it was not necessary for him to travel to his home to heal the servant personally. This is based from his own experience as a Centurion. He too had been given a position of authority. His orders were obeyed because he spoke not from his own authority but in the name of the Emperor. This is true in every area of life. When someone has been delegated the authority, we obey simply because he or she is acting with the authority vested on him or her by the one who possessed the full authority. So, too, a priest acts in persona Christi capitis.
Yet, it must be said that faith is not just about trusting in God or in Jesus. This faith must be concretely manifested in our works of charity. God always hears the cry of the poor and the just, as the psalmist often tells us. “The Lord remembered his mercy. His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him. He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.” The Centurion was not just a man of faith but a man of charity in the first place. Which Centurion would care for his servant as if the servant were his child? In those days, slaves were considered simply as working tools. They had no status, no position and no rights. Their duty was to serve the master. Since they were owned by the master, they could be used according to the whims and fancies of the master. But in this case, the Centurion showed his personal concern for the servant. So great was his love for his servant that he would even risk his status and pride to go and beg Jesus to heal him. What would his fellow Centurion or soldiers think of him? But he did not care what others thought of him. He cared only for his servant who was lying paralyzed and in great pain.
An important dimension of charity is sensitivity. Again, the Centurion showed extreme consideration for our Lord. He knew the customs of the Jews well, that they were not allowed to enter the house of the Gentiles so as not to be made unclean. So he was humble enough to know his place among the Jews. Although he was a person with great authority, he respected the customs and sensitivities of the Jews. He did not want to put Jesus in a difficult position even though Jesus would have no qualms entering his house to heal his servant. Instead, he asked Jesus to heal his servant from afar. Faith demands that we have a heart that is sensitive to others and to the goodness of those who seek to help us.
Indeed, if the Lord had responded so immediately to the request of the Centurion, it was because of his charity and love for everyone. The Lord must have been impressed not just by his faith in Him but also that he was making the request not for himself but for his servant, which again might not be any concern of a master, since he was just another servant. When we act on behalf of others, the Lord would hear us because our prayer is unselfish and such prayer is always aligned with the will of God. “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” (Jn 15:13f)
So too was the case of Abraham. He was welcoming to the strangers, otherwise he would have missed out on the gift that the Lord wanted to give to them. Abraham was known to be a man of great hospitality. He was sincerely generous and sought to look after his guests personally rather than delegate it to his servants. He would insist that they come in and have a rest and some food. Abraham, although a rich man and a master, acted like a servant to his guests. “Abraham hastened to the tent to find Sarah. ‘Hurry,’ he said ‘knead three bushels of flour and make loaves.’ Then running to the cattle Abraham took a fine and tender calf and gave it to the servant, who hurried to prepare it. Then taking cream, milk and the calf he had prepared, he laid all before them, and they ate while he remained standing near them under the tree.”
But God cannot be outdone in our generosity to Him. God promised Abraham and Sarah a child would be born to them in the following year. We too must also be like the Centurion and Abraham. Both were exemplars of faith, but it was a faith that expressed itself in love. This is the authentic meaning of faith. As St Paul says, “For in Christ Jesus the only thing that counts is faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6, 14) Faith and charity go together like sisters. Faith and love go together as well. When we love, we will have faith in God because trust depends on love. When we love, we will also love all those whom the Lord loves as well. The gospel tells us Jesus carried our infirmities because He loves us. Jesus was ever ready to put Himself at the service of the sick and those who were possessed. So we too must act accordingly in faith and in charity.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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