You have great faith. Let your wish be granted.

Welcome to my blog and peace be with you.

You will find here the daily readings from the Bible selected for us by the Catholic Church. If we follow them daily, we will go through the whole Bible in the course of time.

Each day we will get our spiritual nourishment. After the readings I give my reflection heard in prayer. As you prayerfully read the Word of God, he will speak to you too.

Your comments and insights are very welcome.

 

Wednesday 5 August 2020

You have great faith. Let your wish be granted.

Ps 69: 2, 6

O God, come to my assistance;

O Lord, make haste to help me!

You are my rescuer, my help;

O Lord, do not delay.

 

____________________

 

Prayer

Draw near to your servants, O Lord,

and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness,

that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide,

you may restore what you have created

and keep safe what you have restored.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

 

____________________

 

First reading

Jeremiah 31:1-7 ·

You shall be rebuilt, virgin of Israel

I will be the God of all the clans of Israel – it is the Lord who speaks – they shall be my people.

The Lord says this:

They have found pardon in the wilderness,

those who have survived the sword.

Israel is marching to his rest.

The Lord has appeared to him from afar:

I have loved you with an everlasting love,

so I am constant in my affection for you.

I build you once more; you shall be rebuilt,

virgin of Israel.

Adorned once more, and with your tambourines,

you will go out dancing gaily.

You will plant vineyards once more

on the mountains of Samaria

the planters have done their planting: they will gather the fruit.

Yes, a day will come when the watchmen shout

on the mountains of Ephraim,

‘Up! Let us go up to Zion,

to the Lord our God!’

For the Lord says this:

Shout with joy for Jacob!

Hail the chief of nations!

Proclaim! Praise! Shout:

‘The Lord has saved his people,

the remnant of Israel!’

THE WORD OF THE Lord

 

Prayerful reflection

The prophet has two convictions and on the basis of these he makes his prophecy. The first conviction is that sin and infidelity bring destruction. The people of Israel have abandoned the Covenant and sinned constantly against God. The destruction of Jerusalem and the exile in Babylon is the result. Th second conviction is the God loves his people with an everlasting and faithful love. He will never abandon his people, even though he may allow them to suffer greatly to bring about their conversion.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you”.

Therefore when they repent he takes them back into his arms.

Sin is foolishness. Repentance opens the door to all God’s blessings.

Have you experienced this?

 

 

Jeremiah 31:10-12,13

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

O nations, hear the word of the Lord,

proclaim it to the far-off coasts.

Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,

and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,

has saved him from an overpowering hand.

They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,

they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

Then the young girls will rejoice and will dance,

the men, young and old, will be glad.

I will turn their mourning into joy,

I will console them, give them gladness for grief.

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

 

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James1:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

By his own choice the Father made us his children

by the message of the truth,

so that we should be a sort of first-fruits

of all that he created.

Alleluia!

 

 

Gospel

Matthew 15:21-28

The Canaanite woman debates with Jesus and saves her daughter

Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, ‘Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.’ But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. ‘Give her what she wants,’ they said ‘because she is shouting after us.’ He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’ But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. ‘Lord,’ she said ‘help me.’ He replied, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ She retorted, ‘Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.’ And from that moment her daughter was well again. THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

The Pharisees were constantly criticising and finding fault with Jesus. His interpretation of the Law of Moses was so different from theirs. He went to the heart of the Law and fulfilled the real intention of Moses. They focused on the external – the literal interpretation of the words of the Law. Jesus obeyed the spirit of the Law. He leaves Jewish territory for a while to have some peace.

Do I give Jesus peace, by listening and learning from him? Or through my sins, indifference and carelessness regarding following him in his Church, cause him pain?

While in pagan territory a gentile woman comes up to him shouting out loud in her anguish. Her daughter is possessed and acting so strangely that life is impossible. Jesus has been sent to the house of Israel. That is his mission and calling. But more than that, he is not just a miracle worker. He wants an encounter. He wants to meet the person. That can only be done in faith. He must challenge her to believe in him as Saviour. So he does not answer her, leading her to plead even harder. He challenges even more: ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ Now, he is meeting her. She now challenges him with persistence and humility. ‘True, but even house dogs get some few scraps’. As in Cana (John 2:4), Jesus goes beyond his own ideas, and answers faith and trust in him. So her daughter is healed there and then. But her mother has met the Saviour and will remember the encounter all her life.

A personal encounter with Jesus in persistent prayer will always get what is best for us.

Do you meet Jesus in prayer?

Jn 6: 35

I am the bread of life, says the Lord;

whoever comes to me will not hunger

and whoever believes in me will not thirst._____________ 

Prayer

Accompany with constant protection, O Lord,

those you renew with these heavenly gifts

and, in your never-failing care for them,

make them worthy of eternal redemption.

Through Christ our Lord.