GOSPEL READING TODAY - THE CANAANITE WOMAN

Matthew 15:21-28

21 At that time, Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23 But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” 24 He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” 28 Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

 

Reflections

T h i n k : Sometimes we, too, may feel that we are God’s special chosen ones and find it hard to accept that God would also invite into His Kingdom the people that we despise and look down upon.

GOSPEL READING TODAY - Jesus Blesses the Children

Matthew 19:13-15

 

13 Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

 

Reflections

T h i n k : Let us do all we can to help the children grow in their faith and love for God.

CHOOSE TODAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE - By: Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

One of the reasons why we need to remember the blessings of God is that they provide us the motivation we need to follow God. Blessings are a great motivation when it comes to taking on something that we know from the outset is going to be difficult and may involve suffering.

Discipleship requires motivation. Yes, the greatest motivator is love and that is precisely why God wants us to reflect upon His blessings as expressions of His love. The expectation of or for blessings may not be the purest of motivations but it certainly is a start in the right direction. We must always seek to grow in our faith and particularly in the desire to purify that faith in love. The challenge that this proposes to all Christians is enormous as we live in a world that is suffused through selfishness. This selfishness works directly against the true nature of love. It is time for us to rediscover the truth about love and become ambassadors for that truth as we follow wherever Christ leads us. If there is one thing that sets us apart as Christians, it should be love. Jesus recognized this when He told His disciples that the world will know we are Christians by the love we have for each other. (See John 13:34-35.) Christians are supposed to be witnesses to the true nature of love in the way we live.

This is true for each one of us. We cannot exempt ourselves, no matter what our situation may be. In fact, the effectiveness of the Church’s proclamation of the Gospel depends on our commitment in giving our selfless love to the world and all who live in it. Perhaps the best example of this is the men and women who live lives of intercession and penance in the many cloistered communities around the world.  

 

Reflection Question:

How do I respond to my responsibility to live selflessly? What can I do to improve my capacity to love others?

 

Jesus, teach me to live a life that is committed to love others. Never allow me to become self-centered and thus become a false witness to true love.

 

St. William Freeman, pray for us.

GOSPEL READING TODAY - The Question of Divorce

G O S P E L

 

The Pharisees were the keepers of orthodoxy, or so they thought, and they condemned any rabbi (teacher) who did not conform to what they thought and believed. We see them here testing Jesus, trying to trap Him to contradict what Moses had taught. In the Old Testament, Moses allowed a man to divorce  his wife but Jesus shows this was not God’s plan. Rather, God wants a husband and wife to remain faithful to each other for life. Even though this is hard for us as sinners, God will always give us the grace we need.

 

Matthew 19:3-12

3 Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” 4 He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” 7 They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss [her]?” 8 He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” 10 [His] disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. 12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

 

Reflections

T h i n k : God wants a husband and wife to remain faithful to each other for life.

A SUMMARY STATEMENT - By: Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

At the end of the Book of Joshua, we find this summary statement of what God has done for His people. No, it is not God patting Himself on the back, but it is God reminding His people of where they have come from and what their status is now. This is designed to inspire faith by encouraging everyone to reflect upon the blessings God has given His people over the years.

It is helpful for us to also stop and reflect upon the blessings we have received and the progress in our faith life until the present time. If we are disciplined enough to do this regularly, it will keep us in a spirit of gratitude in good and bad times. When we go through tough times, we will surely be able to find blessings in the midst of our trials. There is never an excuse not to be grateful to the Lord.

One of the great failings of the Jews was that they seemed to easily forget the blessings of the past. Not much has changed with the advent of Christianity. Christians also seem to have a tendency to forget even the blessing of being victorious over sin. It does not make any sense to forget such a gift. No one would want to relinquish such a gift, which should make us pause and reflect why we so readily forget it.

It seems that we have a tendency to take God and His blessings for granted. This is very unfortunate as with the sin of assumption comes the weakening of our faith and a greater reliance and submission to the lures of the world. We should avoid this pitfall if we want to remain faithful disciples. The world needs faithful disciples as a reminder of what our true focus in life should be.

 

Reflection Question:

Do I tend to take the blessings of God in my life for granted? When was the last time I specifically tried to enumerate them in order to thank God for them?

 

Holy Spirit, help me to remember and be grateful for all the many blessings of the Lord in my life.

 

St. James Nam, pray for us.