Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 332
Reading 1
1 Kings 11:4-13
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).
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."
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 106:3-4, 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.
Alleluia
James 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.
Gospel
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.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
A Gentile’s Faith
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. Mark 7:25–26
A parent’s love is powerful. And the woman in this story clearly loves her daughter. It is that love that drives this mother to seek out Jesus in the hope that He will free her daughter from the demon who possessed her. Interestingly, this woman was not of the Jewish faith. She was a Gentile, a foreigner, but her faith was very real and very deep.
When Jesus first encountered this woman, she begged Him to free her daughter from the demon. Jesus’ response was at first surprising. 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.” In other words, Jesus was saying that His mission was first to the people of Israel, the chosen people of the Jewish faith. They were the “children” of whom Jesus was speaking, and the Gentiles, such as this woman, were the ones referred to as “the dogs.” Jesus spoke this way to this woman not out of rudeness but because He could see her deep faith, and He wanted to give her an opportunity to manifest that faith for all to see. And so she did.
The woman responded to Jesus, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Her words were not only exceptionally humble but were also based on deep faith and a deep love for her daughter. As a result, Jesus responds with generosity and immediately frees her daughter from the demon.
In our own lives, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we deserve the mercy of God. We can think that we have a right to God’s grace. And even though Jesus deeply desires to pour forth His grace and mercy in superabundance on our lives, it is essential that we fully understand our unworthiness before Him. The disposition of this woman’s heart sets for us a perfect example of how we must come to our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon the beautiful example of this woman of deep faith. Prayerfully read her words over and over. Try to understand her humility, her hope, and her love for her daughter. As you do, pray that you will be able to imitate her goodness so as to share in the blessings she and her daughter received.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
DO YOU REALLY WANT THAT?
“Since this is what you want…” —1 Kings 11:11
Surely many people would love to have a vision of God just once in their life. Solomon, king of Israel, saw God twice (1 Kgs 11:9). Sadly, even these visions were not enough to keep Solomon’s heart close to the Lord (1 Kgs 11:4); “his heart was turned away from the Lord” (1 Kgs 11:9). Surely many people long for spiritual gifts such as wisdom. Solomon had all of that and so much more. In the end, God said to Solomon, “Since this is what you want, the pleasures and idolatries of the world, you will be deprived of the kingdom” (see 1 Kgs 11:11ff).
Like Solomon, the Galatian Christians began well in the Lord. They started in the Spirit, but that was not enough for them, and their relationship with God faltered. St. Paul asked them, “After beginning in the Spirit, are you now to end in the flesh? Have you had such remarkable experiences all to no purpose?” (Gal 3:3-4)
What is required instead is a humble hunger and thirst for God. It is so easy to relax and seek comfort in the things of this world, to grow lazy in our relationship with God. Beg the Lord for the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13), Who fights against our fleshly desires (Gal 5:17).
The ever-present danger is that we may “fall away from [our] sincere and complete devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3). May God never have to say to us, “Since this is what you want…” (1 Kgs 11:11). Far better for us to say to God, “Since this is what You want, Lord, I offer You my life so that Your kingdom may come and Your will may be done” (see Mt 6:10).
Prayer: Father, use me as You will. May I “turn now ten times the more to seek” You (Bar 4:28).
Promise: “Happy are they who observe what is right, who do always what is just.” —Ps 106:3
Praise: Once careless, irreligious, and violent, St. Jerome became more than a conqueror through the power of Jesus (Rm 8:37).
Reflection 3
The Servants of the Word
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".
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?
Prayers
My merciful Lord, I trust in Your perfect love for me and for all peoples. I pray especially for those who carry heavy burdens and for those whose lives are deeply intertwined with evil. Please set them free, dear Lord, and welcome them into Your family so that they become true children of Your Father. May I have the humility and faith I need to help bring forth this abundance of grace for others. Jesus, I trust in You.
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 Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 39: Loss of Spiritual Consolation
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that, because we follow Jesus, we should be continually consoled and comforted in all we do. Is that true? Yes and no. In one sense, our consolation will be continual if we always fulfill the Will of God and know we are fulfilling it. However, there are times when God removes all spiritual consolation from our soul out of love. We may feel like God is distant and experience confusion or even sadness and despair. But these moments are moments of the greatest Mercy imaginable. When God seems far away, we should always examine our conscience to make sure it is not a result of sin. Once our conscience is clear, we should rejoice in the sensory loss of God’s presence and the loss of spiritual consolations. Why? Because this is an act of God’s Mercy in that He is inviting us to obedience and charity despite how we feel. We are given the opportunity to love and serve even though we sense no immediate consolation. This makes our love grow stronger and unites us more firmly to the pure Mercy of God (See Diary #68).
Reflect upon the temptation to turn from God the moment you feel down or distressed. See these moments as gifts and opportunities to love when you do not feel like loving. These are opportunities to be transformed by Mercy into the purest form of Mercy.
Lord, I choose to love You and all whom You put in my life regardless of the way I feel. If love of others brings me great consolation, I thank You. If love of others is difficult, dry and painful, I thank You. Lord, purify my love into a more authentic form of Your Divine Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
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