First Reading

Second Book of Kings (2 Kgs 4: 8-11, 14-16a)

That is a holy man of God.

One day Elisha came to Shunem,
where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her.
Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine.
So she said to her husband,

“I know that Elisha is a holy man of God.
Since he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof
and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp,
so that when he comes to us he can stay there.”

Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.

Later Elisha asked,

“Can something be done for her?”

His servant Gehazi answered,

“Yes!
She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years.”

Elisha said,

“Call her.”

When the woman had been called and stood at the door,
Elisha promised,

“This time next year
you will be fondling a baby son.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 89: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, ”My kindness is established forever;”
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.

You are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and to the Holy One of Israel, our king.

Second Reading

Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (Rom 6: 3-4, 8-11)

Having been buried with him through baptism into death, we might live in newness of life.

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.

If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
As to his death, he died to sin once and for all;
as to his life, he lives for God.
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin
and living for God in Christ Jesus.

— The word of the Lord.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation;
announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew (Mt 10: 37-42)

Whoever does not take up his cross is not worthy of me. Whoever receives you receives me.

Jesus said to his apostles:

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is a righteous man
will receive a righteous man's reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because the little one is a disciple—
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

Book of Genesis (Gn 18: 1-15)

Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.

The LORD appeared to Abraham by the Terebinth of Mamre,
as Abraham sat in the entrance of his tent,
while the day was growing hot.
Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby.
When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them;
and bowing to the ground, he said:

“Sir, if I may ask you this favor,
please do not go on past your servant.
Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,
and then rest yourselves under the tree.
Now that you have come this close to your servant,
let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves;
and afterward you may go on your way.”

The men replied,

“Very well, do as you have said.”

Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,

“Quick, three measures of fine flour!
Knead it and make rolls.”

He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer,
and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
Then Abraham got some curds and milk,
as well as the steer that had been prepared,
and set these before them;
and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.

They asked him,

“Where is your wife Sarah?”

He replied,

“There in the tent.”

One of them said,

“I will surely return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah will then have a son.”

Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, just behind him.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years,
and Sarah had stopped having her womanly periods.
So Sarah laughed to herself and said,

“Now that I am so withered and my husband is so old,
am I still to have sexual pleasure?”

But the LORD said to Abraham:

“Why did Sarah laugh and say,
‘Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?’
Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do?
At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you,
and Sarah will have a son.”

Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying,

“I didn’t laugh.”

But he replied,

“Yes you did.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Luke 1: 46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55

The Lord has remembered his mercy.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

“For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.”

“He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.”

“He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew (Mt 8: 5-17)

Many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

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’.

— The Gospel of the Lord.