Daily Gospel Reflection

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July 1, 2023

Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Mt 8:5-17
Listen to the Audio Version

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed 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 to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man 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 the 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.

Jesus entered the house of Peter,
and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
He touched her hand, the fever left her,
and she rose and waited on him.

When it was evening, they brought him many
who were possessed by demons,
and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick,
to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet:

He took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.

Reflection

Sheila M. O’Brien ’77, ’80, J.D.
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This Gospel passage is so familiar to our ears—we have heard it our whole lives, and we repeat
the centurion’s words every time we receive Communion at Mass.

The centurion is such an interesting character in this story. He is not named by Matthew, the
author of this Gospel, but we know the centurion is a member of the Roman occupying force,
the “enemy” of the Jewish people. He is a person who has temporal power over the people present and presumably over Jesus. He commands others, lives in a world of stature, rank, and weapons, and perhaps has access to everyone and everything his world can offer.

Yet, he publicly turns to Jesus, the political nemesis, the social rabble-rouser. He publicly acknowledges a higher power in Jesus and explains himself by saying that he himself has had power and that it is nothing compared to Jesus—Jesus has it all.

Right there in front of everyone, the centurion put his life and career on the line. He left it all on the field.

Imagine the courage it took for that centurion to publicly say that Jesus was the answer. Would
he lose his rank, his livelihood, and his own power because of his display of faith? Matthew does not tell us what happened to him, but we read that Jesus did tell his followers, “This is how it’s done. THIS is faith. This fella got it right. Leave it all on the field. Come and follow me.”

Not easy, for sure. Each day, we try to follow Jesus in our world, but would we say the centurion’s words in the public square, where he professed his faith, as well as we say those words before Communion?

Let us pray and hope for such courage and faith in our own lives, to put our trust in Jesus, not
just in the quiet of our hearts, but boldly, with abandon, no matter the consequences.

Prayer

Father Herb Yost, C.S.C.

What an extraordinary man that centurion must have been. He loved his slave, which was totally against the grain of his culture. He approached Jesus knowing his fellow soldiers would probably ridicule and mock him. He was humble and respectful, unusual for a soldier of an occupying force. May we approach you, Jesus, with the centurion’s expectant yet confident faith, knowing that you will show us your mercy and give us your help. Amen.

Saint of the Day

Saint Junipero Serra

Saint Junipero Serra was canonized by Pope Francis in a Mass in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 23, 2015—the first canonization to take place on American soil. He is patron saint of vocations to Church ministry, and he played an instrumental role in building the Church on the west coast of America when that area was still mission territory.

Though some controversy has arisen around the saint because of the connection between his missionary activity and the Spanish colonization of Mexico and California, the many investigations into his life show a saintly man who was absolutely dedicated to the indigenous people he served.

Miguel Jose Serra was born in 1713 on the Spanish island of Majorca, and when he entered the Franciscan order at the age of 17, he took the name of Junipero, who was a friend of St. Francis and one of his first followers.

He was a very good student, and rose quickly in his class. After being ordained to the priesthood, he earned a doctorate in theology and taught philosophy for 12 years.

At the age of 37, he traveled to the New World to teach at a university in Mexico City. He was bitten by a snake during this journey, and suffered from a swollen leg for the rest of his life, though it did not stop him from making other trips by foot.

After teaching in Mexico City for some time, he asked to be stationed at a mission 90 miles away that reached native American Indians in the area. He spent nine years there and learned the native language, even translating a catechism. He returned to Mexico City, where he became an effective preacher, encouraging people to turn from sin. He often practiced acts of self-mortification to emphasize his desire for repentance.

At the age of 55, he was given responsibility for a number of missions in what is now the Baja peninsula and California. He worked tirelessly, converting thousands and building 21 new missions. Frequently an advocate for the indigenous people he served, he implored the Spanish authorities to adopt policies that would recognize the dignity of all, even walking over 2,000 miles to Mexico near the end of his life to champion this cause.

Junipero helped bring to California many staples of its current agriculture industry: oranges, lemons, olives, figs, grapes, and vegetables, as well as cattle, sheep, goats, and horses. This statue of Saint Junipero represents the State of California in the National Hall in the U.S. Capitol building.

Saint Junipero was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988. His feast day is celebrated on August 28 everywhere else besides the United States, where it is honored on July 1. His image is used here with permission from Catholic.org.

Saint Junipero Serra, patron saint of vocations to Church ministry and builder of the Church on the west coast—pray for us!