June 27, 2026 Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time / Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Gospel: Matthew 8:5–17
Today is Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church celebrates the optional memorial of Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.
The Roman Martyrology tells us: Saint Cyril (c. 376–444), born in Alexandria, succeeded his uncle as Patriarch of Alexandria in 412. He devoted his life to refuting heresies and played a leading role at the Council of Ephesus in 431, where the errors of Nestorius were condemned. In 1882, he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.
In today’s Gospel passage from Saint Matthew, we hear of the encounter between Jesus and a centurion after entering Capernaum. I would like to offer some reflections on this text.
In the time of Jesus, centurions held considerable authority. Yet the centurion described by Saint Matthew, though powerful, sets aside his rank because of concern for his servant and approaches Jesus with humility. When our Lord, moved by compassion, offers to go to the centurion’s house to heal the servant, the officer responds: “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 under 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” (Mt 8:8–9). What remarkable faith! He is certain that Jesus can heal his servant—a striking contrast to the self-centered attitude often found in our own prayers. Ironically, such humble trust was more common among outsiders than among many of the Jews of Jesus’ day, who, as God’s chosen people, often presumed themselves exclusively entitled to divine favor, looking down upon the uncircumcised Gentiles as unworthy of God’s gifts.
Consider the centurion’s servant and Peter’s mother-in-law: both received healing through the grace poured out by Jesus (cf. Mt 8:13, 14–17). And what of us? Through water and the Holy Spirit, we have been reborn in Christ. Thus, the Lord Christ, rich in mercy, fulfills the word of the prophet Isaiah: “He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases” (cf. Mt 8:17; Is 53:4). By His mighty right hand, He heals us, cleansing us in the “rivers of living water” flowing from the Sacred Heart of Jesus (cf. Jn 7:37–38), washing away the stain of sin and the death inherited from Adam and Eve, and raising us to live in the light of Christ, the true Light of the world.
Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever
June 26, 2026 Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mt 8:1-4
Today is Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew recounts what took place as Jesus descended from the mountain after concluding the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew tells us that a leper came forward, knelt before Him, and said, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.” (Cf. Mt 8:2)
In the time of Jesus, those afflicted with leprosy were regarded as unclean. Leprosy, like present-day Hansen’s disease, was highly contagious. Thus, in the Book of Leviticus, the Lord instructed Moses: “The one who bears the sore of leprosy shall have his garments torn and his head bare; he shall shield his mustache and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ As long as the score is on him, he remains unclean. He shall dwell apart; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” (Cf. Lv 13:45-46) Consequently, for the Jews of Jesus’ time, anyone suffering from leprosy had to be separated from family and social ties, resulting in complete isolation from the community. Therefore, this leper who approaches Jesus today clearly represents someone marginalized by society.
Today, this leper—who overcomes every obstacle to courageously come before Jesus—is us. Living in this valley of tears, and due to original sin, our souls, ever since we left our mother’s womb, are like this leper, covered with the sores and festering wounds caused by sin.
Christ the Lord, rich in mercy, upon hearing the leper’s plea for cleansing, not only healed him immediately but also transcended the limitations of the Old Law: “Whoever touches the unclean thing shall itself be unclean, and whoever touches it becomes unclean until evening.” (Cf. Nm 19:21-22) He stretched out His hand, touched the leper, and said, “I will do it. Be clean.” (Cf. Mt 8:3)
When we gather the courage to seek God’s healing through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the merciful God comforts us through the ministers He has chosen. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, He washes away our original sin in the Precious Blood of Christ and, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, makes us His children. Though we sin again and again, He continues to forgive us, ensuring that nothing separates us from His love.
Furthermore, He helped the man return to his community. According to the Law of Moses, a person with leprosy remained unclean as long as the disease persisted. (Cf. Lv 13:46) Only after the prescribed rites of purification could he return to his former dwelling. (Cf. Lv 14:1-32) This leper, once isolated due to his illness, was now sent by Jesus to comply with the Law: to present himself to the priest and offer the prescribed gift, thereby undergoing ritual purification and being readmitted into Jewish society.
Today, when we become aware of the leprosy of our soul, we too approach the confessional to seek God’s healing. The priest seated within represents Jesus and, by virtue of the power to forgive sins received in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, absolves us of our faults. Thus, we are reconciled with God and all creation and restored once more to the family of God’s children.
Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever
June 25, 2026 Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 7:21–29
Today is Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew continues to present to us the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. Today’s Gospel brings us to its conclusion.
We often offer many different kinds of prayers to God. At the beginning of our prayers, we address Him as “Lord God,” “Almighty God,” or “Merciful God.” In our eyes, these prayers seem pleasing to God and in accord with His holy will; we think that by praying in this way, we secure and strengthen our relationship with Him. Yet such prayer is not necessarily acceptable to God. Too often, our petitions seek the things of this passing world rather than the righteousness of the Kingdom that God calls us to pursue.
Today, Jesus calls us to do the will of the Father. To know the Father’s will, we must ask for the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of truth” of whom Jesus spoke in His farewell discourse before His Passion (cf. John 16:13). We may feel familiar with Jesus Christ, but our understanding of the Holy Spirit is often less mature. Saint Paul teaches us that the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (cf. Romans 8:26). Pope Saint Paul VI, in his Apostolic Letter Credo of the People of God, instructs us: “The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church; our faith rests upon Him, for He is the life of the Mystical Body of Christ” (Pope Saint Paul VI, Credo of the People of God, 6). He dwells perpetually within the Church. In the Eucharistic Liturgy, we frequently hear the priest pray: “Lord, we implore You, send forth Your Holy Spirit to sanctify these gifts, that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ” (cf. The Roman Missal, Catholic Truth Society, England, 25 June 2025, approved by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Prot. 1021/07/L, pp. 1036–1037).
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! If we contemplate all that happens to us with the eyes of faith, and if our hearts are attuned to the Heart of the Divine Word, we shall discern the presence of the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit ceaselessly reveals to us the hidden wisdom of God’s will and sustains our bond with Jesus Christ. When we cling faithfully to the Holy Spirit and allow His promptings to shape our prayers, then Jesus recognizes in our supplications His own voice. And the Father, who loves us, likewise recognizes in them the voice of His only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ—and through the intercession of the Spirit, grants us every grace we need. Then our faith will stand firm, like a house built upon rock—founded upon Christ Himself, the living Stone, and upon Peter, the Rock chosen by the Word of God—unshakable, even as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church is unshakable.
Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever
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