Daily Readings - Sat Jun 30 2018
Lamentations
2BETH. The Lord has cast down, and he has not been lenient, with all the beauties of Jacob. In his fury, he has destroyed the fortifications of the virgin of Judah, and he has thrown them down to the ground. He has polluted the kingdom and its leaders10JOD. The elders of the daughter of Zion have become idle; they sit on the ground. They have sprinkled their heads with ashes. They have been wrapped with haircloth. The virgins of Jerusalem have cast their heads down to the ground11CAPH. My eyes have exhausted their tears. My internal organs have become disturbed. My liver has been poured out on the earth, over the grief of the daughter of my people, when the little ones and the infants passed away in the streets of the town12LAMED. They said to their mothers, "Where is the wheat and the wine?" when they fell like the wounded in the streets of the city, when they breathed out their lives into the bosoms of their mothers13MEM. To what shall I compare you, or to what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equate you, so as to console you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your destruction is as great as the sea. Who will cure you14NUN. Your prophets have seen false and foolish things for you. And they have not laid open your iniquity, so as to provoke you to repentance. Yet they have seen for you false revelations and banishments18SADE. Their heart cried out to the Lord from the walls of the daughter of Zion. Let tears run down like a torrent throughout the day and the night. Do not give rest to yourself, and do not allow the pupil of your eye to cease19COPH. Rise up. Give praise in the night, in the first of the watches. Pour out your heart like water before the sight of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him on behalf of the souls of your little ones, who have passed away from famine at the head of all the crossroads
Matthew
5And when he had entered into Capernaum, a centurion approached, petitioning him6and saying, "Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and badly tormented.7And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him.8And responding, the centurion said: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed9For I, too, am a man placed under authority, having soldiers 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.10And, hearing this, Jesus wondered. And he said to those following him: "Amen I say to you, I have not found so great a faith in Israel11For I say to you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and they shall sit at table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven12But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.13And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go, and just as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And the servant was healed at that very hour14And when Jesus had arrived at the house of Peter, he saw his mother-in-law lying ill with a fever15And he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose up and ministered to them16And when evening arrived, they brought to him many who had demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word. And he healed all those having maladies17in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, saying, "He took our infirmities, and he carried away our diseases.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful expressions of human suffering and the divine response to it. The first reading from Lamentations paints a vivid picture of the destruction of Jerusalem, with the prophet mourning the loss of the city and its people. The once-proud kingdom lies in ruins, its leaders fallen, its children perishing in the streets. The prophet cries out to God, seeking comfort and healing for a people overwhelmed by grief. This passage reminds us that even in the midst of great sorrow, we turn to God, trusting in His mercy and providence.
In the Gospel, we find a very different kind of suffering—one that is personal and intimate. A centurion, a man of authority, humbles himself before Jesus, begging for the healing of his paralyzed servant. What strikes Jesus is not the man’s power or status, but his faith. The centurion recognizes that he is unworthy, yet he trusts completely in Jesus’ word. His faith is rewarded, and his servant is healed. This story teaches us that true faith is not about what we deserve but about trusting in God’s goodness and power, even when we feel unworthy.
Both readings invite us to reflect on how we respond to suffering and hardship in our own lives. Like the prophet in Lamentations, we may cry out to God in our darkest moments, seeking comfort and healing. Like the centurion, we are called to humble ourselves and trust in God’s providence, even when the outcome is uncertain. Let us remember that our faith, no matter how small, can move mountains. May we turn to God in every trial, trusting that He will bring light out of darkness and healing to our deepest wounds.