FIRST READING
“We are God’s fellow workers,’ you are God’s field, God’s building.”
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 3: 1-9)
Brethren, I could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men? For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely men? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are equal, and each shall receive his wages according to his labour. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm33: 12-13.14-15.20-21 (R. 12b)
R/. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen for his heritage
Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his heritage.
From the heavens the Lord looks forth;
he sees all the children of men. R/.
From the place where he dwells he gazes
on all the dwellers on the earth,
he who shapes the hearts of them all,
and considers all their deeds. R/.
R/. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen for his heritage
Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name. R/.
ALLELUIA Luke 4: 18
Alleluia. The Lord has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“I must preach the good news to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 4:38-44)
At that time: Jesus arose and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they asked him about her. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she rose and served them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. And when it was day he departed and went into a lonely place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them; but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
Which are your favourites among the miracles of Jesus? If you could perform any one of them, which would it be? For some, it is the walking on the water while some will prefer the changing of water into wine. But ask a desperate mother whose son or daughter is dying or is terribly sick, she will plead for Jesus’ touch – to heal and restore her child to health. In the gospel, Jesus visits Peter’s mother-in-law and restores her to health and life. He is the one and only physician! He always seeks those in pain to give them relief. He wants to perform the same miracles in us and through us.