Monday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
ALIEN NO LONGER
Alternative Celebration: Learn more here.
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
Paul urges Christians, through Timothy, to be mediators by our supplications, prayers and intercessions for all humankind. The basis is that Christ is the one mediator between God and humanity and God wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. How universal is God’s plan and will to save!
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.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, Father of all,
you call people from every language, culture and nation
to worship you and to live in your love.
Let your Son, Jesus Christ, speak among us
your saving word that brings healing to all.
May many accept his invitation
to sit with us at his table.
Give us enough faith and love
that we too, like you and your Son,
may turn strangers into friends.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
First Reading
On Prayer
Firstly, I ask that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,
including rulers of states and all in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in godliness and respect.
This is good and pleases God our savior,
who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, who is human himself,
and who gave his life to redeem everyone. This is the testimony, given at the right time,
and God has appointed me as an apostle and messenger of this message. I am telling the truth and not lying: He made me teacher of the Gentiles in matters of faith and truth.
On the Behavior of Men and Women
I want the men everywhere to lift pure hands in prayer to heaven, without anger or disagreement.
Responsorial Psalm
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
Hear the sound of my pleading, when I cry to you,
lifting up my hands toward your holy shrine.
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
The LORD is my strength and my shield.
In him my heart trusts, and I find help;
then my heart exults, and with my song I give him thanks.
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
The LORD is the strength of his people,
the saving refuge of his anointed.
Save your people, and bless your inheritance;
feed them, and carry them forever!
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The elders came to Jesus and begged him earnestly, saying:
“He deserves this from 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 Roman officer sent friends to deliver this message:
“Sir, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you under my roof.
For I myself, a soldier under authority, give orders to those under me, and I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.
Upon hearing these words, Jesus was filled with admiration. He turned to the people with him and said:
“I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”
The people sent by the captain headed back to his house; there, they found that the servant was well.
Prayers of the Faithful
Intentions
– That those who believe in the Lord Jesus may express their faith in deeds of justice and love, of dedicated service and of endless compassion, we pray:
– That all peoples of the earth may hear where the Lord Jesus can be found, come to know his name and pray to him, we pray:
– That we may welcome strangers and foreigners in our Christian communities and make them feel at home with us, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we bring bread and wine before you
to celebrate our gratitude to you
as we are gathered around Jesus, your Son,
for in him, you have accepted us.
From his hospitable table
may men and women from all cultures
eat his bread of life and drink his wine of joy,
that all may know your name
and praise your merciful love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Father in heaven,
we thank you that your Son has come to us,
even though we are not worthy.
May he find great faith in us
and in all his people.
Let his word fill our empty words
and his love inspire all we do,
that with our whole life
and in the harmony of our many languages
we may sing our honor and thanks to you, Father.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
For God there are no strangers, no foreigners, no aliens. He knows them all, accepts them all, loves them all, whether they know it or not, for they are all his children. May you accept them as God does, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Luke 7:1-10
Saintly Pagan
To have the kind of faith that fills God with admiration is no small feat! The faith and conduct of the unnamed Roman officer were so profound that his words have entered the Rite of Communion in the Holy Mass. He definitely deserved it, for he exhibited many evangelical virtues: a profound faith that honored God and confessed his own unworthiness; deep trust that Jesus would do the right thing for his servant; genuine concern for the welfare of his servant – being an officer, he had far greater matters to busy himself with and no one would have faulted him if he hadn’t cared for his ailing servant; though a Roman official, he respected the religious traditions of the Jews and provided them with a synagogue… What greater proof Jesus needed for his love of God and neighbor! This saintly pagan must definitely serve as a model for us, Christians.
Lord, I am not worthy
The pagan centurion in today's Gospel exemplifies admirable qualities. He shows concern for his seriously ill servant, demonstrates sensitivity to the needs of his Jewish people whom they – the Romans have oppressed and subjugated, and requests Jesus for help without hesitation. Additionally, he is conscious of the ritual impurity Jesus would contract by entering his house.
The Church wanted to immortalise the words of the Centurion of Capernaum. Every day, we make them our own profession of faith as we prepare to receive communion: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof."
The centurion was a man who believed in the goodness of the God of Israel, which is why he built the synagogue of Capernaum. He was a Roman officer who represented the presence of the Roman Empire in Galilee. He is empathetic and has great concern for the health of his dying servant, and that is why he approaches Jesus as his last resort. But he feels unworthy to have Jesus entering his house. However, the most important part of today’s Gospel is that Jesus does not notice his unworthiness at all. And that is the promise of the Gospel today. God does not notice our unworthiness. Instead, he rectifies our unworthiness and makes us whole again.
Our faith teaches us that Christ is always with us, but do we acknowledge our own unworthiness and be grateful for the graces freely given to us? How often do we say a prayer of thanks for petitions granted? Blessed be the Lord for he has heard my prayer.
Three short phrases drawn from Luke 7:1-10 that could guide the faithful into deeper meditation during the day:
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“I am not worthy… but only say the word.” – a call to humility and trust in Christ’s power.
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“He loves our nation and built us a synagogue.” – a reminder that faith is shown through concrete acts of love.
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“Not even in Israel have I found such faith.” – an invitation to examine the depth of our own faith in Jesus.