Gospel for July 14, 2015 (Tuesday) Feast day of St. Camillus de Lellis

Mt 11:20-24

Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.  But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum; 'Will you be exalted to heaven?  You will go down to the netherworld.  For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

The Word in other words

A HEART OF STONE!  Is that what you have?  Do you have a cold and unfeeling heart?  In the gospel today, Jesus expressed His disappointment with the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum for the hardness of their hearts.  In these towns, Jesus performed "mighty deeds" but the people rejected His works,  Jesus then compared these towns to the cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom.  These cities were symbols of immorality, perversion, pride, and sin.  Had the people of these cities heard the works of Christ, their repentance would have been swift and profound.  But the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, in spite of seeing the works of Jesus, did not repent. In the gospel, Jesus us about conversion and warns us of the danger of being repentant.

Sometimes, we are like the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida.  We receive abundant blessings from God and yet we remain indifferent to His goodness.  Sometimes, we are like the people of Capernaum,  God makes us feel so loved like His favorite children yet we remain cold and proud.  Today the gospel invites us to look into our own hearts.  Do you have a heart of stone of do you need a "new heart"?

Read again the gospel for today.  Recall the times when you felt like the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.  Ask God for the grace of conversion.  As you pray, remember the words of Ezekiel 36:26: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

                      -  Fr. Jose Honorio P. Mateo, SVD (Paraguay, South America)

Gospel for June 27, 2015 (Saturday)

Mt 8:5-17

When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appeal to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."  He said to him, "I will come and cure him".

The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, only say the word and my servant will be healed.  For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me.  And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another,  'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.  I say to you, many will come from east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

And Jesus said to the centurion,  "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you."  And at that very hour (his) servant was healed.

The Word in other words

A centurion is a Roman military official with around 100 men under his command.  With this position, he receives a high compensation enabling him to afford a better life.  This life would mean having slaves at home who, like the soldiers under him, are always ready to obey his commands.

This centurion knows then the power of his words.  At work and at home, all his words instantly take effect and are obeyed by his people.  In his own realm, the centurion feels that he is powerful.

The fact that the centurion approaches Jesus to heal his servant manifests his belief that Jesus is also powerful in His own realm,  And if he can effect power with his words, why not also Jesus?  Thus, with faith, he says to Jesus:  "Only say the word and my servant will be healed."

We can draw two thoughts from the above statements.  First, a person of prayer and deep faith, the centurion is convinced that Jesus, if he wills it, has the power to heal his servant.  In our own little way, we pray privately.  But how deep is the faith that motivates or moves us to pray?

The second thought that has to do with the content of the prayer of the centurion.  He is praying for his servant.  Yes, we pray and we bring our petitions to God, but are they usually petitions for our own personal concerns and for our loved ones?  How often do we pray for the people who serve us: our maids, cooks, laundry people, gardeners, etc?  How often do we pray for the needs and concerns of people who do not belong to our family and loved ones?

          - Fr. Jerome S. Montesclaros, SVD (USC, Cebu City)