Daily Readings - Sat Jun 28 2025
Genesis
1The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.2Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.3He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.4Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree.5Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way-now that you have come to your servant.Very well," they answered, "do as you say."6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread."7Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.8He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.9"Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "There, in the tent," he said.10Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.11Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.12So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"13Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?'14Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."15Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh." But he said, "Yes, you did laugh."
Matthew
5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."7Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."8The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."10When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."13Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.14When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.15He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.16When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of hospitality, faith, and trust in God’s providence. In the first reading from Genesis, Abraham encounters three mysterious visitors and extends to them extraordinary hospitality, offering food and shelter. Despite Sarah’s initial doubt and laughter at the promise of a son in her old age, God reaffirms His promise, emphasizing that nothing is impossible for Him. This passage reminds us of the importance of trusting God’s plan, even when it seems beyond human understanding.
In the Gospel, we meet a Roman centurion who approaches Jesus with humility and faith, seeking healing for his servant. The centurion’s remarkable faith is highlighted as he acknowledges his unworthiness and recognizes Jesus’ authority over all things. Jesus, moved by this faith, heals the servant and commends the centurion as an example of faith greater than what He has found in Israel. This passage challenges us to examine our own faith—do we trust God’s power and providence in our lives, even when circumstances seem impossible?
Both readings call us to live with hospitality, humility, and unwavering faith. Like Abraham, we are invited to welcome God and others into our lives with generosity and openness. Like the centurion, we are encouraged to trust in God’s power and mercy, even when we feel unworthy or when the challenges before us seem insurmountable. May we, like these examples, allow God to work through us and in us, trusting that He can bring light and healing into even the darkest corners of our lives.