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Today, 27th of September, we celebrate
Saint Vincent of Paul
1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33
Brothers and sisters:
In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact
that your meetings are doing more harm than good.
First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church
there are divisions among you,
and to a degree I believe it;
there have to be factions among you
in order that also those who are approved among you
may become known.
When you meet in one place, then,
it is not to eat the Lord's supper,
for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,
and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?
Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?
What can I say to you? Shall I praise you?
In this matter I do not praise you.
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my Body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
R./ Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R./ Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R./ Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O Lord, know.
R./ Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The Lord be glorified."
R./ Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
Luke 7:1-10
When Jesus had finished teaching to the people, he went to Capernaum.
There was a captain whose servant was very sick and near to death, a man very dear to him. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent some elders of the Jews to persuade him to come and save his servant's life. The elders came to Jesus and begged him earnestly, saying, "He deserves this of you, for he loves our people and even built a synagogue for us."
Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the captain sent friends to give this message, "Sir, do not trouble yourself for I am not worthy to welcome you under my roof. You see I didn't approach you myself. Just give the order and my servant will be healed. For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers and I say to this one: 'Go,' and he goes; and to the other: 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant: 'Do this,' and he does it."
On hearing these words, Jesus was filled with admiration. He turned and said to the people with him, "I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith." The people sent by the captain went back to his house; there they found that the servant was well.
Dear friends,
Today, Luke introduces us to a special Roman centurion, one who deeply cares for his servant and shows great concern for those less fortunate. This centurion demonstrates two essential human qualities that allow God to work in us: humility and faith.
Just as a light bulb needs electricity to shine and a combustion engine needs gasoline to run, God’s grace needs to be fueled by our faith in order to perform miracles and wonders.
Humility: “I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.”
The centurion would have been a high-ranking officer in the Roman army, very aware of his power. But this power had not corrupted him; on the contrary, it had given him an awareness of others and a humility to serve them. Humility, because even though he was a centurion and a Roman, who at that time dominated the Jewish people, he did not order Jesus around as if he were an equal or a person of lower rank. Quite the opposite. He humbled himself before Jesus and, shedding his status as a ruler of people, recognized his own need for Him.
Faith: “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
The centurion expresses a sincere faith, a trust and confidence that it will happen. A faith that not only sympathizes but seeks a solution; a faith that is a determined effort to help the poor servant, so much so that the Lord Himself marvels at his faith. The centurion trusts Jesus completely. Faith, because the centurion believed with all his heart that Jesus could heal his servant. He did not doubt Jesus’ power in his heart. Otherwise, he would not have been able to draw this grace from His Divine mercy.
That is why faith and humility are the perfect combination for God to grant His most beautiful graces to the people who ask for them.
In the Eucharist, we say the centurion’s prayer before receiving Communion: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”
This prayer expresses our imperfection before Jesus and our faith, humility, and trust in Jesus’ healing grace, which in every Communion heals us – makes us whole – just as He healed the centurion’s servant. How important it is to be aware that only Jesus heals us, frees us, purifies us, and sanctifies us! As Paul said, “By the grace of God I am what I am.” And St. John: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
Your brother,
José Luis Latorre, Claretian MissionaryFather, whose purpose it is
to unite everyone in Jesus your Son,
do not allow us to have separate tables
or exclusive reservations
neither for the Eucharist
nor in our communities.
Whatever way we come, rich or poor,
saints or sinners, healthy or weak,
keep us united in mutual respect and love
in the one body of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
First Reading Introduction
Paul makes a strong statement against the Corinthians for their division between rich and poor at the Eucharistic celebration. Underlying his reprimand is that the Corinthians act against something basic to Christianity: the Eucharistic body of Christ builds up the Church as his ecclesial body. If they eat the one body of Christ and share the same cup, they ought to be one. They are to be the sign of the unity of all humankind in Christ.
Gospel Introduction
Today we have the beautiful scene of the Roman centurion asking Jesus through emissaries to heal his slave. He loved the Jewish people and had faith in Jesus because of what he had heard about Jesus. Another sign of faith, something unusual in a world of slavery, seems to be that he begged for the healing of a slave. We hear him also say the words we use in the eucharistic celebration, that he is not worthy of Jesus coming to his house.
– That the day may come when all who believe in Christ may sit at the same table to break the bread of the Lord, we pray:
– That the Eucharist may build us up more as Church, uniting us more as the body of Christ in prayer, thanksgiving to God, and concern for the weak, we pray:
– That the Eucharist may unite the whole community in mutual forgiveness, acceptance and sharing, we pray:
Lord God, Father of all,
let this holy feast meal
be to us, indeed, the Lord's supper,
where we put aside our squabbles and differences
not only for a moment,
but where we can forget them.
Let your Son here in our midst
make us one of heart and mind
as the people you love
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Our one Father of all,
we have been one for a little while
around the table of your Son.
We thank you for having made us
different from each other,
each with one's own identity and character,
one's talents, and even one's faults.
Thank you for saving us
from the monotony of sameness.
May we thus sing to you
a living symphony of many voices,
and nourish us with the same bread
united by the one mentality
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
It is a real shame that people who meet in the Lord, listen to his Word, and eat the Eucharist from his table are divided and discriminate against one another. May in his goodness God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
