First Reading

Reading from the Book of Lamentations

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

The Lord has destroyed without pity
all the dwellings of Jacob;
in his fury he has destroyed
the strongholds of Judah;
he has thrown to the ground and dishonored
the king and his princes.

They sit on the ground in silence,
the elders of Zion;
they have sprinkled dust on their heads
and put on sackcloth.
The maidens of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground.

My eyes are worn out from weeping
and my heart burns with pain;
my mouth is bitter with bile
because of the disaster of my people,
seeing the children and infants faint
in the squares of the city.

The children ask their mothers:
“Where is there bread?”
And they fall powerless, like the wounded,
in the squares of the city,
and die in their mothers’ arms.

With whom can I compare you, Jerusalem?
To whom can I liken you?
Or what words can I say to console you,
virgin daughter of Zion?
Your misfortune is as vast as the sea.
Who can heal you?

Your prophets deceived you
with false and senseless visions.
They did not show you your sins
to spare you from captivity,
and only announced falsehoods and illusions to you.

Cry out, then, to the Lord with all your soul;
groan, Jerusalem;
let your tears flow like torrents
day and night;
do not allow yourself rest;
let the daughters of your eyes never cease to weep.

Rise and cry out to the Lord
throughout the night;
pour out your heart like water
in the presence of God;
lift up your hands to him
and pray for the life of your little ones.

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew

Matthew 8, 5-17

At that time, as Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman officer approached him and said: “Lord, I have a servant at home who is lying in bed, paralyzed, and suffering greatly.” Jesus answered him: “I will come and heal him.”

But the officer replied: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter my house; just say one word, and my servant will be healed. For I too live under authority and have soldiers under my command; when I say to one, ‘Go!’, he goes; to another, ‘Come!’, and he comes; to my servant, ‘Do this!’, and he does it.”

Upon hearing these words, Jesus was amazed and said to those who followed him: “Truly I tell you, I have not found such great faith in any Israelite. I assure you that many will come from east and west and will sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven. But the heirs of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness. There will be weeping and despair.”

Jesus said to the Roman officer: “Go back to your house, and let it be done for you as you have believed.” And at that very moment the servant was healed.

When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He took her by the hand, and the fever left her. She got up and began to serve them.

At sunset they brought him many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the demons with a word and healed all the sick. Thus was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: He took up our weaknesses and bore our diseases.