From: John 4:43-54

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

[43] After the two days he departed to Galilee. [44] For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his own country. [45] So when he came to Galilee
the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at
the feast, for they too had gone to the feast.

The Cure of the Royal Official’s Son

[46] So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.
And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. [47] When he heard
that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come
down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. [48] Jesus therefore said
to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” [49] The official
said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” [50] Jesus said to him, “Go,
your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went
his way. [51] As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his
son was living. [52] So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and
they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” [53] The fa-
ther knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live”;
and he himself believed, and all his household. [54] This was now the second
sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

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Commentary:

46. St John is speaking about a royal official, probably in the service of Herod
Antipas who, although he was only tetrarch or governor of Galilee (cf. Lk 3:1),
was also referred to as king (cf. Mk 6:14). The official, therefore, would have
been someone of high rank (v. 51), who lived in Capernaum, a town with a cus-
toms post. This is why St Jerome thought he must have been a “palatinus”, a
palace courtier, as the corresponding Greek word implies.

48. Jesus seems to be addressing not so much the official as the people of Ga-
lilee who flock to him to get him to perform miracles and work wonders. On ano-
ther occasion our Lord reproaches the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Caper-
naum for their disbelief (Mt 11:21-23), because the miracles he worked there
would have been enough to move the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, and
even Sodom itself to do penance. The Galileans in general were inclined to
watch him perform miracles than listen to his preaching. Later on, after the mira-
cle of the multiplication of the loaves, they will look for Jesus to make him king
— but they are slower to believe when he tells them about the Eucharist (Jn 6:
15, 53, 62). Jesus asks people to have a strong, committed faith which, though
it may draw support from miracles, does not require them. Be that as it may, in
all ages God continues to work miracles, which help bolster our faith.

“I’m not one for miracles. I have told you that in the Holy Gospel I can find more
than enough to confirm my faith. But I can’t help pitying those Christians — pious
people, ‘apostles’ many of them — who smile at the idea of extraordinary ways,
of supernatural events. I feel the urge to tell them: Yes, this is still the age of mi-
racles: we too would work them if we had faith!” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 583).

49-50. In spite of Jesus’ apparent coldness, the official keeps trying: “Sir, come
down before my child dies”. Although his faith is imperfect, it did bring him to tra-
vel the thirty-three kilometers (twenty miles) between Capernaum and Cana, and
despite his important position here he was, begging our Lord for help. Jesus likes
the man’s perseverance and humility; he rewards his faith: ‘”Si habueritis fidem,
sicut granum sinapis! If your faith were the size of a mustard seed!...’’ What pro-
mises are contained in this exclamation of the Master!” (St. J. Escriva, “The
Way”, 585).

The Fathers compare this miracle with that of the centurion’s servant, contrasting
the amazing faith of the centurion—from the start—with the initially imperfect faith
of this official from Capernaum. St John Chrysostom comments: “Here was a ro-
bust faith [in the case of this official]; therefore, Jesus made him the promise, so
that we might learn from this man’s devotion; his faith was as yet imperfect, and
he did not clearly realize that Jesus could effect the cure at a distance; thus, the
Lord, by not agreeing to go down to the man’s house, wished us to learn the
need to have faith” (”Hom. on St John”, 35).

53. The miracle is so convincing that this man and all his family become belie-
vers. All parents should do what they can to bring their household to the faith. As
St Paul says, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his
own family, he has disowned the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim
5:8). Cf. Acts 16:14, where we are told that Lydia brought her whole household
along with her to be baptized: Acts 18:8 mentions Crispus, the ruler of the syna-
gogue doing the same thing, as does the prison warden (Acts 16:33).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading	Isaiah 65:17-21 ©

Thus says the Lord: Now I create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and will come no more to men’s minds. Be glad and rejoice for ever and ever for what I am creating, because I now create Jerusalem ‘Joy’ and her people ‘Gladness.’ I shall rejoice over Jerusalem and exult in my people. No more will the sound of weeping or the sound of cries be heard in her; in her, no more will be found the infant living a few days only, or the old man not living to the end of his days. To die at the age of a hundred will be dying young; not to live to be a hundred will be the sign of a curse. They will build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

Psalm	Psalm 29:2,4-6,11-13 ©

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me

and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,

restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,

give thanks to his holy name.

His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.

At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

The Lord listened and had pity.

The Lord came to my help.

For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:

O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

Gospel Acclamation	cf.Ps129:5,7

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

My soul is waiting for the Lord,

I count on his word,

because with the Lord there is mercy

and fullness of redemption.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Or	cf.Amos5:14

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,

and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel	John 4:43-54 ©

Jesus left Samaria for Galilee. He himself had declared that there is no respect for a prophet in his own country, but on his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended.

He went again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a court official there whose son was ill at Capernaum and, hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he went and asked him to come and cure his son as he was at the point of death. Jesus said, ‘So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents!’ ‘Sir,’ answered the official ‘come down before my child dies.’ ‘Go home,’ said Jesus ‘your son will live.’ The man believed what Jesus had said and started on his way; and while he was still on the journey back his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive. He asked them when the boy had begun to recover. ‘The fever left him yesterday’ they said ‘at the seventh hour.’ The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, ‘Your son will live’; and he and all his household believed.

This was the second sign given by Jesus, on his return from Judaea to Galilee.