DAILY GOSPEL: 13/09/2010
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68
Monday of the Twenty-fourth week in Ordinary Time
First Letter to the Corinthians 11:17-26.33.
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, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
Psalms 40(39):7-8.9.10.17.
Sacrifice and offering you do not want; but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts and sin-offerings you do not require;
so I said, "Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll.
To do your will is my delight; my God, your law is in my heart!"
I announced your deed to a great assembly; I did not restrain my lips; you, LORD, are my witness.
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who long for your help always say, "The LORD be glorified."
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 7:1-10.
When he had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, "He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."
And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant 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 at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
When the messengers returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
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, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
Psalms 40(39):7-8.9.10.17.
Sacrifice and offering you do not want; but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts and sin-offerings you do not require;
so I said, "Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll.
To do your will is my delight; my God, your law is in my heart!"
I announced your deed to a great assembly; I did not restrain my lips; you, LORD, are my witness.
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who long for your help always say, "The LORD be glorified."
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 7:1-10.
When he had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, "He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."
And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant 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 at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
When the messengers returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
Lc 7,1-10
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermon 62 (©1991 Augustinian Heritage Institute)
"Lord, I am not worthy"
When the gospel was read, we heard Jesus praise our faith in an act of humility. When the Lord Jesus, you remember, promised he would go to the centurion's house to heal his servant, the man replied, «I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and he will be healed». By calling himself unworthy, he showed he was worthy to have Christ enter, not within his walls, but within his heart...
There would, after all, have been no great benefit if the Lord Jesus had entered within his walls, and had not been in his bosom. Christ, the teacher of humility by both word and example had, you may remember, sat down in the house of a certain proud Pharisee called Simon (Lc 7,36f.). And though he was sitting in his house, there wasn't anywhere in his heart where the Son of man might lay his head (Lk 9,58)... But into this centurion's house he never entered, yet he took possession of his heart...
So this man's faith is discerned and praised in an act of humility. He said, «I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof» and the Lord said, «Amen I tell you, I have not found such great faith in Israel»... The Lord had come to Israel according to the flesh, that is to the Jews, there first to seek the sheep that were lost (Lk 15,4)... We, as human beings, can assess the faith of human beings - from the outside; he, who could look inside, whom no one could deceive, bore witness to the faith of this man, and on hearing his humble words, he gave him a clean bill of health.
There would, after all, have been no great benefit if the Lord Jesus had entered within his walls, and had not been in his bosom. Christ, the teacher of humility by both word and example had, you may remember, sat down in the house of a certain proud Pharisee called Simon (Lc 7,36f.). And though he was sitting in his house, there wasn't anywhere in his heart where the Son of man might lay his head (Lk 9,58)... But into this centurion's house he never entered, yet he took possession of his heart...
So this man's faith is discerned and praised in an act of humility. He said, «I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof» and the Lord said, «Amen I tell you, I have not found such great faith in Israel»... The Lord had come to Israel according to the flesh, that is to the Jews, there first to seek the sheep that were lost (Lk 15,4)... We, as human beings, can assess the faith of human beings - from the outside; he, who could look inside, whom no one could deceive, bore witness to the faith of this man, and on hearing his humble words, he gave him a clean bill of health.
St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church - Memorial
Saint John Chrysostom
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(c. 349-404)
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(c. 349-404)
Born at Antioch about 349, where he was ordained an exercised his pastoral ministry for many years. His preaching bore great fruit, and his writings revealed the brilliance of his intellect and his strength of faith. He lived an austere life, striving to reform the morals of clergy and people.
In 397 he became Bishop of Constantinople; he was exiled by the emperor, who took exception to his work, and died in 404 at Comana in Turkey.
