Sunday between 4 and 7 March
[plus Sunday 3 March in a leap year]
(if before Ash Wednesday)
or Sunday between 29 May and 4 June
(if after Trinity Sunday)
Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
First Reading - 1 Kings 8.41-43
A reading from the first book of Kings.
From the prayer of Solomon,
at the dedication of the temple.
‘People of other nations
will hear
of your great name, O Lord.
They will hear
of your mighty hand,
and your outstretched arm,
and they will come
to this temple
to pray.
When people
of other nations
come to this temple,
hear their prayers,
in heaven, your dwelling-place,
and answer them, O Lord,
so that your name will be known,
and you will be honoured,
not only in Israel,
but in all
the nations
of the earth.’
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - Galatians 1.1-5
A reading from the letter of Paul
to the Galatians.
From Paul, made an apostle
not by any human authority,
but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who
raised Christ from the dead.
And from all the members
of God’s family, who are with me.
To the churches of Galatia,
in Asia Minor.
Grace to you, and peace,
from God our Father,
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Lord Jesus Christ
gave himself up for us,
because of
our trespasses,
to rescue us
from the evils
of this present age,
fulfilling the will
of our God and Father.
Glory to God
for ever.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - Luke 7.2-10
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Luke.
A centurion’s
most precious servant
had become ill;
and was close to death.
When the centurion
heard about Jesus,
he sent
some of the Jewish elders
to ask Jesus
to come and heal
his servant.
The elders
appealed to Jesus, saying,
‘This centurion
is worthy
to have you
do this,
for he loves our people,
and built
our synagogue.’
Jesus went with them;
but as they approached the house,
the centurion sent out friends
to say to Jesus, on his behalf,
‘Lord, do not trouble yourself;
for I am not worthy
to have you
come under my roof;
indeed
I did not
consider myself worthy
even to approach you;
but I know
that if you
only
say the word,
my servant
will be healed.
For I am under the authority of others,
and I also have soldiers under my authority,
such that
I only have to
say the word,
and it is done.’
When Jesus heard these words,
he was amazed,
and turning to the crowd that was following,
he said, ‘I tell you,
not even
in all Israel
have I found
such faith as this.’
When the centurion’s friends
returned to the house,
they found the servant
fully recovered, and in
good health.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.