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Households, cities, countries and nations have enjoyed great happiness, when a single individual has taken heed of the Good and Beautiful. . . Such people not only liberate themselves’ they fill those they meet with a free mind.
- Philo -
(What good and beautiful things are you aware of? Let this awareness lead you to the knowledge of God and become a blessing for all this day.) |
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Nm 13:1-2, 25–14:1, 26a-29a, 34-35; Ps
106:6-7ab, 13-14, 21-22, 23 Mt 15: 21-28 At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
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."
But he 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."
He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And her daughter was healed from that
hour. USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
“Forty years shall you suffer for your crimes: one year for each day. Thus you
will realize what it means to oppose Me.” —Numbers 14:34
Sin is so bad that when Adam and Eve sinned, human nature became wounded and fallen from that moment till the end of the world.
Sin is so bad that the Israelites were punished with forty years of wandering in a desert because they sinned by refusing to enter the
promised land (Nm 14:34). Sin is so bad that 70,000 people died in a three-day pestilence because of one of David’s sins (2 Sm 24:15). Sin is so bad that millions of innocent people, even children, suffer terribly because of the sins of others (see Mt 15:22). Sin is so bad that we brutally tortured, crucified, and murdered Jesus by our sins (see Acts 3:15). Sin is the worst of all evils and the cause of all evils. There would be no way to be freed from sin but for the blood of Jesus shed for us on Calvary. Prayer: Father, I thank You forever
for sending Jesus to save me from sin (see 1 Tm 1:15). Promise: “Jesus then said in reply, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your wish will come to pass.’ That very moment her daughter got better.” —Mt 15:28 Presentation Ministries
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-Readings from Jesus Alive in Our Lives, by Philip St. Romain. Ave Maria Press, 1985. Contemplative Ministries, Inc. 2011. Part Two, Encountering the Risen Christ Chapter 4: Christian
Community - Selected quotes I’m sure you’ve heard people saying they believe in God or even Christ, but don’t have any use for Church or “organized religion. Recently, I even heard well-known talk show host Neil Boortz say that he considered himself a Christian, but didn’t belong to a Church because
most Christians are hypocrites who only go to Church to be seen so that others will think they’re religious people (which tells us a lot about why Boortz would go to Church, if he did, I think). Other reasons have to do with the belief that organized religion imposes lots of arbitrary rules and regulations that only stifle spirituality and faith in Christ. While this is certainly true in some cases, it misses a few basic points that we shall get to shortly. There are other
justifications given, one of the most common being some kind of wrong done by a pastor to the person or his/her family. The list goes on and on. Maybe you have a few of your own.
I don’t have the answer to all these questions and objections, of course, but I do find it helpful from time to time to try to get in touch with what Jesus’ own intent was regarding the Church. Did he intend there to be a Church, even “organized religion?” Reflection on this topic is especially important to me during those “low times” in Church involvement. After all, as we
noted in earlier chapters, you can develop a personal relationship with Christ through your prayer and devotion. During the down times, it’s tempting to want to just pursue the other modes of union with Christ and let the Church go on without me. But one of the things that stops me from doing so is my understanding of the Church as the mystical body of Christ, and what this means in terms of growing in Christ. Paperback and eBook versions
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