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Saturday, June 27, 2026

Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 376

Scripture Readings

Reading 1

Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19

The Lord has consumed without pity all the dwellings of Jacob; He has torn down in his anger the fortresses of daughter Judah; He has brought to the ground in dishonor her king and her princes.On the ground in silence sit the old men of daughter Zion; They strew dust on their heads and gird themselves with sackcloth; The maidens of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground.Worn out from weeping are my eyes, within me all is in ferment; My gall is poured out on the ground because of the downfall of the daughter of my people, As child and infant faint away in the open spaces of the town.In vain they ask their mothers, “Where is the grain?” As they faint away like the wounded in the streets of the city, And breathe their last in their mothers’ arms.To what can I liken or compare you, O daughter Jerusalem? What example can I show you for your comfort, virgin daughter Zion? For great as the sea is your downfall; who can heal you?Your prophets had for you false and specious visions; They did not lay bare your guilt, to avert your fate; They beheld for you in vision false and misleading portents.Cry out to the Lord; moan, O daughter Zion! Let your tears flow like a torrent day and night; Let there be no respite for you, no repose for your eyes.Rise up, shrill in the night, at the beginning of every watch; Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your little ones Who faint from hunger at the corner of every street.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 74:1b-2, 3-5, 6-7, 20-21
R. (19b) Lord, forget not the souls of your poor ones. Why, O God, have you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? Remember your flock which you built up of old, the tribe you redeemed as your inheritance, Mount Zion, where you took up your abode. R. Lord, forget not the souls of your poor ones. Turn your steps toward the utter ruins; toward all the damage the enemy has done in the sanctuary. Your foes roar triumphantly in your shrine; they have set up their tokens of victory. They are like men coming up with axes to a clump of trees.  R. Lord, forget not the souls of your poor ones. With chisel and hammer they hack at all the paneling of the sanctuary. They set your sanctuary on fire; the place where your name abides they have razed and profaned.  R. Lord, forget not the souls of your poor ones. Look to your covenant, for the hiding places in the land and the plains are full of violence. May the humble not retire in confusion; may the afflicted and the poor praise your name. R. Lord, forget not the souls of your poor ones.
Lord, forget not the souls of your poor ones.

Alleluia

Matthew 8:17
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 8:5-17

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.

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Via USCCB

Reflection

The Courage to Bring the Ruins to Jesus

Today offers us a jarring, beautiful contrast. In the first reading, we hear the raw, agonizing cry of Lamentations as Jerusalem lies in ruins-a picture of total hopelessness where people pour out their hearts "like water." But then, we step into the Gospel and meet the Centurion. He faces a hopeless situation too (a paralyzed servant), yet he stands before Jesus with absolute, unshakeable confidence. The message for you today is clear: God doesn't ask you to pretend everything is okay. He wants you to bring your ruins, your grief, and your "hopeless" cases to Him, trusting that His authority is stronger than any disaster.

Real Faith is brutally Honest

Let's look at this as a Personal Challenge. We often fall into the trap of thinking our prayer needs to be polite or composed. But look at the readings! The author of Lamentations is wailing in the night; the Centurion is publicly admitting his unworthiness. Real faith isn't a stiff upper lip; it’s desperation meeting trust. Maybe you are watching a child leave the faith, or your career feels like it's crumbling. Do not sanitize your prayer. God can handle your grief. Like the Centurion, you don't need to be "worthy" or have it all together; you just need to believe that Jesus can fix what is broken with a single word.

Putting It Into Practice

The "Centurion" Pause: Before you receive Communion (or if you can't attend Mass, before dinner), close your eyes and say the Centurion's prayer slowly: *"Lord, I am not worthy... but only say the word."* Focus specifically on one area of your life that needs that healing word today.

Intercession for the "Paralyzed": The Centurion went to Jesus for someone else. Identify one person in your life who is "paralyzed" by fear, sin, or illness. Spend 5 minutes today praying for them, visualizing yourself physically placing them at Jesus' feet.

Reflect & Journal

1

When you look at your life right now, what feels like the "ruins" of Jerusalem-broken, confusing, or painful?

2

The Centurion said, "Only say the word." Do I truly believe Jesus has authority over my specific problems, or do I act like I have to solve them all myself?

3

Who is the "servant" in my life-the person I need to carry to Jesus because they cannot go themselves?

4

After Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, she immediately "rose and waited on him." How does my gratitude for God's help translate into service for others?

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