Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 332
Lectionary: 332
When Solomon was old his wives had
turned his heart to strange gods,
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).
So the LORD said to Solomon:
“Since this is what you want,
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
Responsorial
Psalm106:3-4, 35-36, 37 AND 40
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord,
as you favor your people.
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people;
visit us with your saving help.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
But they mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
And the LORD grew angry with his people,
and abhorred his inheritance.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people;
visit us with your saving help.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
But they mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
And the LORD grew angry with his people,
and abhorred his inheritance.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
AlleluiaJAS 1:21BC
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 7:24-30
Jesus went to the district of
Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
Meditation:
"The
demon has left your daughter"
Do
you ever feel "put-off" by the Lord? This passage describes the only
occasion in which Jesus ministered outside of Jewish territory. (Tyre and Sidon
were fifty miles north of Israel and still exist today in modern Lebanon.) A
Gentile woman - an outsider who was not a member of the chosen people - puts
Jesus on the spot by pleading with him to show mercy to her daughter who was
tormented with an evil spirit. At first Jesus seemed to pay no attention to
her, and this made his disciples feel embarrassed. Jesus very likely did this
not to put the woman off, but rather to test her sincerity and to awaken faith
in her.
The
Lord shows mercy to those who seek him
What did Jesus mean by the expression "throwing bread to the dogs"? The Jews often spoke of the Gentiles with arrogance and insolence as "unclean dogs" since the Gentiles were excluded from God's covenant and favor with Israel. For the Greeks the "dog" was a symbol of dishonor and was used to describe a shameless and audacious woman. Matthew's Gospel records the expression do not give dogs what is holy (Matthew 7:6). Jesus, no doubt, spoke with a smile rather than with an insult because this woman immediately responds with wit and faith - "even the dogs eat the crumbs".
What did Jesus mean by the expression "throwing bread to the dogs"? The Jews often spoke of the Gentiles with arrogance and insolence as "unclean dogs" since the Gentiles were excluded from God's covenant and favor with Israel. For the Greeks the "dog" was a symbol of dishonor and was used to describe a shameless and audacious woman. Matthew's Gospel records the expression do not give dogs what is holy (Matthew 7:6). Jesus, no doubt, spoke with a smile rather than with an insult because this woman immediately responds with wit and faith - "even the dogs eat the crumbs".
Love
conquers with persistent trust and faith
Jesus praises a Gentile woman for her persistent faith and for her affectionate love. She made the misery of her child her own and she was willing to suffer rebuff in order to obtain healing for her loved one. She also had indomitable persistence. Her faith grew in contact with the person of Jesus. She began with a request and she ended on her knees in worshipful prayer to the living God. No one who ever sought Jesus with faith - whether Jew or Gentile - was refused his help. Do you seek Jesus with expectant faith?
Jesus praises a Gentile woman for her persistent faith and for her affectionate love. She made the misery of her child her own and she was willing to suffer rebuff in order to obtain healing for her loved one. She also had indomitable persistence. Her faith grew in contact with the person of Jesus. She began with a request and she ended on her knees in worshipful prayer to the living God. No one who ever sought Jesus with faith - whether Jew or Gentile - was refused his help. Do you seek Jesus with expectant faith?
"Lord
Jesus, your love and mercy knows no bounds. May I trust you always and never
doubt your loving care and mercy. Increase my faith in your saving help and
deliver me from all evil and harm."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Great was the power of her faith, and
for our learning, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)
"See her humility as well as her faith! For he had called the Jews
'children,' but she was not satisfied with this. She even called them
'masters,' so far was she from grieving at the praises of others. She said,
'Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’
table.' Behold the woman's wisdom! She did not venture so much as to say a word
against anyone else. She was not stung to see others praised, nor was she
indignant to be reproached. Behold her constancy. When he answered, 'It is not
fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs,' she said, 'Yes,
Lord.' He called them 'children'” but she called them 'masters.' He used the
name of a dog, but she described the action of the dog. Do you see this woman's
humility? Then compare her humility with the proud language of the Jews: 'We
are Abraham's seed and were never in bondage to any man'(John 8:33). 'We are
born of God' (John 8:41). But not so this woman. Rather, she calls herself a
dog and them masters. So for this reason she became a child. For what does
Christ then say? 'O woman, great is your faith.'
"So we might surmise that this is the reason he put her off, in order that he might proclaim aloud this saying and that he might crown the woman: 'Be it done for you as you desire.' This means 'Your faith, indeed, is able to effect even greater things than these. Nevertheless be it unto you even as you wish.' This voice was at one with the voice that said, 'Let the heaven be,' and it was (Genesis 1:1). 'And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.' Do you see how this woman, too, contributed not a little to the healing of her daughter? For note that Christ did not say, 'Let your little daughter be made whole,' but 'Great is your faith, be it done for you as you desire.' These words were not uttered at random, nor were they flattering words, but great was the power of her faith, and for our learning.
He left the certain test and demonstration, however, to the issue of events. Her daughter accordingly was immediately healed." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW, Homily 52.3)
"So we might surmise that this is the reason he put her off, in order that he might proclaim aloud this saying and that he might crown the woman: 'Be it done for you as you desire.' This means 'Your faith, indeed, is able to effect even greater things than these. Nevertheless be it unto you even as you wish.' This voice was at one with the voice that said, 'Let the heaven be,' and it was (Genesis 1:1). 'And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.' Do you see how this woman, too, contributed not a little to the healing of her daughter? For note that Christ did not say, 'Let your little daughter be made whole,' but 'Great is your faith, be it done for you as you desire.' These words were not uttered at random, nor were they flattering words, but great was the power of her faith, and for our learning.
He left the certain test and demonstration, however, to the issue of events. Her daughter accordingly was immediately healed." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW, Homily 52.3)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, MARK 7:24-30
Weekday
(1 Kings 11:4-13; Psalm 106)
Weekday
(1 Kings 11:4-13; Psalm 106)
KEY VERSE: "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter" (v 29).
TO KNOW: Jesus set out to the Gentile city of Tyre in Phoenicia. Here a pagan woman from the province of Syria approached Jesus and begged him to cure her daughter. Thus far, Jesus' ministry had only been to the Jews. He said it was not right to give away the "food" that was meant for God's "children" ("dogs" is a contemptuous term for Gentiles). The woman said she was willing to accept whatever the children had thrown away (a reference to the Gentile's acceptance of Jesus after his own people rejected him). Because of the woman's faith, Jesus healed her daughter. After Jesus' resurrection, he commissioned his apostles to preach the good news to all people (Mk 16:15).
TO LOVE: Am I willing to serve whomever the Lord sends to me?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to know all your people despite any differences that seem to separate us.
Thursday 13 February 2020
1 Kings 11:4-13. Psalm 105(106):3-4, 35-37, 40. Mark 7:24-30.
Lord, remember us, for the love you bear your people – Psalm 105(106):3-4, 35-37, 40
The astuteness of the Syro-Phoenician woman
Lord, remember us, for the love you bear your people – Psalm 105(106):3-4, 35-37, 40
The astuteness of the Syro-Phoenician woman
Sometimes we’re bone tired. Work is dreary, partners and
children are demanding, pets want feeding or walking, and technology invades
our spare time. These are days when a desert island looks good as we just want
to get away from others wanting a piece of us. Did Jesus feel like that? We’re
told he went into a house because he didn’t want anyone to know he was there
but was followed by a woman asking him to heal her daughter. Does tiredness
excuse his rudeness, likening the woman to a house-dog? Perhaps it makes it a
little more relatable. However, the woman turns the quip against him, answering
so swiftly and smartly that Jesus heals the daughter. Being taken to task by a
woman and a pagan doesn’t cause him to bristle with indignation or shut down,
‘to retreat into his tribe’ as the sociologists would have it. Rather he
responds with warmth, granting the woman’s request. Today, let us answer those
in our lives with a generous spirit.
Saint Giles Mary of St. Joseph
Saint of the Day for February 13
(November 16, 1729 – February 7, 1812)
 |
| Engraving of Saint Giles of St. Joseph | Giuseppe Gnaccarini |
Saint Giles Mary of Saint Joseph’s Story
In the same year that a power-hungry Napoleon Bonaparte led his
army into Russia, Giles Mary of Saint Joseph ended a life of humble
service to his Franciscan community and to the citizens of Naples.
Francesco was born in Taranto to very poor parents. His father’s
death left the 18-year-old Francesco to care for the family. Having secured
their future, he entered the Friars Minor at Galatone in 1754. For 53 years, he
served at St. Paschal’s Hospice in Naples in various roles, such as cook,
porter, or most often as official beggar for that community.
“Love God, love God” was his characteristic phrase as he
gathered food for the friars and shared some of his bounty with the poor—all
the while consoling the troubled and urging everyone to repent. The charity
which he reflected on the streets of Naples was born in prayer and nurtured in
the common life of the friars. The people whom Giles met on his begging rounds
nicknamed him the “Consoler of Naples.” He was canonized in 1996.
Reflection
People often become arrogant and power hungry when they forget
their own sinfulness and ignore the gifts God has given to other people. Giles
had a healthy sense of his own sinfulness—not paralyzing but not superficial
either. He invited men and women to recognize their own gifts and to live out
their dignity as people made in God’s divine image. Knowing someone like Giles
can help us on our own spiritual journey.
Lectio Divina: Mark 7:24-30
Lectio Divina
Thursday, February 13, 2020
1) Opening prayer
Father,
watch over Your family
and keep us safe in Your care,
for all our hope is in You.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever. Amen.
watch over Your family
and keep us safe in Your care,
for all our hope is in You.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Mark 7:24-30
Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted
no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose
daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive
the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the
children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The
demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the
child lying in bed and the demon gone.
3) Reflection
In today’s Gospel we see how Jesus is attentive to a foreign
woman, belonging to another race and to another religion, even though this was
forbidden by the religious law of that time. At the beginning Jesus did not
want to help her, but the woman insists and obtains what she wants: the cure of
her daughter.
Jesus is trying to broaden the mentality of the disciples and of
the people beyond the traditional vision. In the multiplication of the loaves,
He had insisted on sharing (Mk 6: 30-44). He had declared all food pure (Mk 7:
1-23). In this episode of the Canaanite woman, He exceeds, goes beyond the
frontiers of the national territory and accepts a foreign woman who did not
belong to the people and with whom it was forbidden to speak. These initiatives
of Jesus, which come from His experience of God the Father, were foreign to the
mentality of the people of that time; Jesus helps the people to get out of
their way of experiencing God in life.
Mark 7: 24: Jesus gets out of that territory. In the Gospel
yesterday (Mk 7: 14-23) and of the day before (Mk 7: 1-13), Jesus had
criticized the incoherence of the tradition of the ancients and had helped the
people and the disciples to get out of the prison of the laws of purity. Here,
in Mark 7: 24, He leaves Galilee. He seems to want to get out from the prison
of territory and race. Finding Himself outside, He does not want to be
recognized. But His fame had reached there before. People had recourse to
Jesus.
Mark 7: 25-26: The situation. A woman approaches Jesus and
begins to ask for help for her daughter who is sick. Mark says explicitly that
she belongs to another race and to another religion. That means that she was a
gentile. She throws herself at the feet of Jesus and begins to plead for the
cure of her daughter, who was possessed by an unclean spirit. For the gentiles
it was not a problem to go to Jesus. But for the Jews to live with gentiles was
a problem!
Mark 7: 27: The response of Jesus. Faithful to the norms of His
religion, Jesus says that it is not appropriate to take the bread of the
children and give it to little dogs! This was a hard phrase. The comparison
came from life in the family. Even now, children and dogs are numerous,
especially in poor neighborhoods. Jesus affirms one thing: no mother takes away
bread from the mouth of her children to give it to the dogs. In this case the
children were the Hebrew people and the little dogs, the gentiles. At the time
of the Old Testament, because of rivalry among the people, the people used to
call other people dogs (1 Sam 17: 43). In the other Gospels, Jesus explains the
reason for His refusal: “I have been sent only for the lost sheep of the house
of Israel!” (Mt 15:24). In other words, the Father does not want Me to take
care of this woman!
Mark 7: 28: The reaction of the woman. She agrees with Jesus,
but she extends the comparison and applies it to her case: Jesus, this is
true, but the little dogs also eat the crumbs that fall from the table of the
children! It is as if she said, “If I am a little dog, then I have the right of
little dogs, that is, the crumbs that fall from the table belong to me!” She
simply draws conclusions from the parable that Jesus told and shows that even
in the house of Jesus, the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table
of the children. And in the house of Jesus , that is, in the Christian
community, the multiplication of the bread for the children was so abundant
that there were twelve baskets full left over (Mk 6: 42) for the little dogs ,
that is, for her, for the gentiles!
Mark 7: 29-30: The reaction of Jesus: “Because of what you have
said, go. The devil has gone out of your daughter!” In the other Gospels it is
made more explicit: “Great is your faith! May it be done as you wish!” (Mt 15:
28). If Jesus accepts the woman’s request, it is because He understands that
now the Father wanted Him to accept her request. This episode helps us to
understand something of the mystery which envelops the person of Jesus and His
life with the Father. Observing the reactions and the attitudes of the people,
Jesus discovers the will of the Father in the events of life. The attitude of
the woman opens a new horizon in the life of Jesus. Thanks to her, He discovers
better the project of the Father for all those who seek to liberate themselves
from the chains which imprison their energy. Thus, throughout the pages of the
Gospel of Mark, there is a growing opening toward the people. In this way, Mark
leads the readers to open themselves before the reality of the world which
surrounds them and to overcome the preconceptions which prevent a peaceful
living together among the people. This opening toward gentiles appears very
clearly in the final order given by Jesus to the disciples, after His
Resurrection: “Go out to the whole world, proclaim the Gospel to all creation”
(Mk 16: 15).
4) Personal questions
Concretely, what do you do to live peacefully with people of
other Christian Churches?
In the neighborhood where you live, are there people of other religions? Which?
Do you normally speak with people of other religions?
What kind of broadening of mind does this text demand from us today, in the family and in the community?
In the neighborhood where you live, are there people of other religions? Which?
Do you normally speak with people of other religions?
What kind of broadening of mind does this text demand from us today, in the family and in the community?
5) Concluding prayer
Blessed are those who keep to what is just,
whose conduct is always upright!
Remember me, Yahweh, in Your love for Your people.
Come near to me with Your saving power. (Ps 106:3-4)
whose conduct is always upright!
Remember me, Yahweh, in Your love for Your people.
Come near to me with Your saving power. (Ps 106:3-4)
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