Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
9th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Cycle C)
Readings:
1 Kings 8:41-43
Psalm 117:1-2
Galatians 1:1-2, 6-10
Luke 7:1-10
Abbreviations: NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments, and that is why we read and relive the events of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: All Nations Praise the Lord
The Psalm Reading provides the theme of this week's readings
in the invitation for all nations to praise the Lord. In the First Reading,
King Solomon prays that the Lord God will bless the Gentiles from distant lands
who come to offer their prayers at God's house, the only place where worship
and sacrifice to God take place, the Jerusalem Temple. The plan of the Temple,
which God gave to David and then built by his son Solomon, included a courtyard
dedicated as a place of assembly for Gentiles who wanted to learn about Yahweh
and His covenant with Israel. The Gentiles who were not yet in covenant with
Yahweh could not go beyond this outer court. However, within the Court of the Gentiles,
these foreign peoples could offer their sacrifices to God's ordained priests
who would carry their offerings to God's holy altar of sacrifice. They could
also receive instruction in the Law that bound God to His covenant people and accept
the invitation to become converts to the faith.
The Jerusalem Temple's Court of the Gentiles foreshadowed the promises of the New Covenant Kingdom of the Church of Jesus Christ that welcomed Gentile Christians into a covenant relationship with God the Son in an equal partnership with Jewish Christians. Together they formed a universal family in a covenant union that promised the gift of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ and the mission to spread His Gospel across the face of the earth.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul admonished the Gentile Christians of Galatia in Asia Minor to hold fast to the Gospel of salvation that he and others received from Christ and handed on to them. He urged them not to be swayed by false teachers who present teachings different from what they received. The First and Second Readings prepare us for the Gospel Reading in which a Roman "God-fearer," a Gentile who believes in the God of Israel but has not committed to conversion in the ritual of circumcision, sent Jewish friends to Jesus to ask Him to heal his servant. He firmly believed that Jesus's power and authority came from God and expressed his faith by telling Jesus, "but say the word and let my servant be healed."
All our readings emphasize the theme of God's gift of salvation to the Earth's nations. God invites all peoples in the human family of Adam to be reborn into the universal family of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism. And after the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, in obedience to Jesus's command, they are to take their places as His disciples and teachers of the Gospel to every generation of humanity while holding fast to the truth of the teachings of Christ that He entrusted to Mother Church.
The First Reading 1 Kings 8:41-43 ~ King Solomon's Prayer
for the Gentile Peoples
In those days, Solomon prayed in the Temple, saying, 41 "To the foreigner, who is not of your people
Israel but comes from a distant land to honor you—42 since they will learn of your great name and
your mighty hand and your outstretched arm. When he comes and prays toward this
Temple, 43 listen from your
heavenly dwelling. Do all that foreigner asks of you, that all the peoples of
the earth may know your name, may fear you as do your people Israel, and may
acknowledge that this Temple which I have built is dedicated to your honor."
In 8:30-51, King Solomon offered a prayer for the covenant people composed of seven petitions. Each petition presents a condition of trial followed by a plea for God's forgiveness and intervention:
The passage in today's reading is from Solomon's fifth petition as he prays for the Gentiles who seek Yahweh at His holy Temple. Solomon's plea for the Gentiles includes:
Solomon's prayer for the hope of Gentiles coming into covenant with Yahweh foreshadows their conversion to the New Covenant in Christ Jesus. Gentiles were not excluded from the Sinai Covenant that God made with Israel. The rules for proselytes are in Deuteronomy 23:2-9, and, in addition to these restrictions, their males had to be circumcised. Under Mosaic Law, foreigners essentially had to become Israelites to be incorporated into the covenant people. The first Jewish Christians tried to impose these same restrictions on Gentiles entering the New Covenant Church (Acts 15:1). The requirements for Gentile conversion to the New Covenant of Jesus Christ became the focus of the Jerusalem Council in 49/50 AD (Acts 15:2-29). The Council of Jerusalem decided that one did not have to become a Jew to become a Christian. Instead, the circumcision of hearts in the Sacrament of Baptism replaced the physical sign of circumcision under the Old Law. Gentile men and women would become fully incorporated into the New Covenant as equal partners with Jewish Christians (Gal 3:28).
Responsorial Psalm 117:1-2 ~ Praise the LORD all Nations
The response is: "Go out to all the world and tell
the good news." Or "Alleluia."
1 Praise the LORD,
all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples!
Response:
2a For steadfast is
his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
Response:
Psalm 117 is the shortest in the Psalter, consisting of only two verses. Some translations attach Psalm 117 to either the psalm that proceeds it or the one that comes after it. In verse 1, there are two invitations for all the nations of the earth to praise Yahweh and two reasons for that praise in verse 2:
This psalm's petition began to be fulfilled after the resurrection of Jesus Christ when, in obedience to Jesus's command, His disciples accepted the mission to carry His Gospel message of salvation to all nations. St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople (d. 407), wrote: "The psalm contains the prophecy that the Church and the teaching of the Gospel would spread to the ends of the earth" (Expositio in Psalmos, 116).
The Second Reading Galatians 1:1-2, 6-10 ~ Holding Fast to True Teaching
1 Paul, an apostle not from human beings nor through a human being but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead 2 and all the brothers who are with me, to the church of Galatia. [...].6 I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel—7 not that there is another. But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed. 9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than what you have received, let that one be accursed! 10 Am I now currying favor with humans of with God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.
Jewish Christian preachers were disrupting several newly formed Christian congregations that St. Paul helped to found in Asia Minor by attempting to impose Mosaic Law on the Gentile Christians. When they came to the Gentile and Jewish Christian faith community at Antioch, Syria, they told the congregation: "Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved" (Acts 15:1). In his letter, St. Paul encourages the Galatian Christians to hold fast to the Gospel that he and others preached to them that came not from human sources but through Jesus Christ and God the Father. That teaching included the message that faith in Jesus Christ, sealed by Christian baptism, is sufficient for salvation (Mk 16:16). Circumcision and other regulations of the old covenant faith did not have to be observed by Gentiles who became Christians. St. Paul called for God's curse against these false teachers who lead the innocent astray (verse 9).
The message for us is also to be guided by the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching authority of His Church and not to be deceived by any other teachings, including secular society's agendas. We have received the same Gospel message passed down to us from Christ to His Apostles and from them to Mother Church and Christ's divinely appointed Vicar, the successor of St. Peter. The Church has the authority from Christ to interpret Scripture and to bind and loose sins (Jn 20:22-23; 2 Pt 1:20-21).
The Gospel of Luke 7:1-10 ~ The Healing of the Roman Centurion's Servant/Son
1 When he had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave. 4 They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, "He deserves to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he built the synagogue for us." 6 And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. 7 Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a person 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." 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." 10 When the messengers returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
A centurion was a Roman officer who commanded a hundred men. The Roman Empire stationed soldiers throughout Judea, Samaria, and Galilee to maintain order. This centurion was probably in the service of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Perea. He was a "God-fearer" —a Gentile who recognized the One True God of Israel and worshipped Him but had not gone so far as to submit to circumcision and complete conversion to the covenant (see the same title in Acts 10:2, 22). As a result, he could not be admitted beyond the Court of the Gentiles in the Temple, but he could attend Sabbath services in a local Synagogue. This Gentile Roman officer had even financed the building of the Synagogue in Capernaum (verse 5).
2 A centurion there had a slave [doulos can refer to a slave/servant or minor child] who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him [entimos can mean "valuable/precious" or "dear" in affection]. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
The Roman sent his Jewish friends who were elders of the local Synagogue to plead with Jesus to heal his servant (or his son). A son in his minority was referred to as his father's "servant" since he was under his father's authority. The Roman's request in itself demonstrates his faith that Jesus has the power to fulfill his petition.
6 And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. 7 Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed.
In the sacrifice of the Mass, the congregation repeats the centurion's words—"Lord .... I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof"— then adding "but only say the word and my soul shall be healed" before the Eucharistic procession. The centurion thoughtfully and humbly discouraged Jesus from entering his house. His words in verse 6 show that he understood the rules concerning ritual defilement for Jews coming in contact with Gentiles (see Jn 18:28 and Acts 10:28). But his testimony that He knew Jesus did not have to enter his house to heal the servant or son physically demonstrates the depth of his faith in Jesus's spiritual powers and authority from God.
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." 10 When the messengers returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
The faith of the Roman officer impressed Jesus, and he praised the man's faith to the Jewish crowd. Another Roman centurion demonstrated faith in Jesus, and St. Luke described him as a "God-fearer" in the Book of Acts 10:1-49. St. Peter baptized that Roman Centurion named Cornelius, his entire family, and his close friends, who formed a community of Gentile believers at Caesarea into the Church of Jesus Christ. They were the first Gentiles to enter the New Covenant family of Jesus Christ, the Universal (Catholic) Church.
Catechism references for this lesson (* indicates Scripture quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
All are called to enter the Kingdom of God (CCC 543*, 545*, 546*)
The Church as the universal sacrament of salvation (CCC 774, 775*, 776)
Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the Temple (CCC 2580*)
Jesus and the Temple (CCC 583*, 584*, 585*, 586*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2016; revised 2022 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.