† Saint Quote:The stillness of prayer is the most essential condition for fruitful action. Before all else, the disciple kneels down. St. Gianna Molla Today's Meditation“The true reason for which God bestows so many graces upon the humble is this, that the humble are faithful to these graces and make good use of them. They receive them from God and use them in a manner pleasing to God, giving all the glory to Him, without reserving any for themselves. … It is certainly true that he who is humble is also faithful to God, because the humble man is also just in giving to all their due, and above all, in rendering to God the things that are God’s; that is, in giving Him the glory for all the good that he is, all the good that he has and for all the good that he does; as the Venerable Bede says: ‘Whatever good we see in ourselves, let us ascribe it to God and not to ourselves.’ To give thanks to God for all the blessings we have received and are continually receiving is an excellent means of exercising humility, because by thanksgiving we learn to acknowledge the Supreme Giver of every good. And for this reason it is necessary for us always to be humble before God. St. Paul exhorts us to render thanks for all things and at all times: ‘In all things give thanks.’ (1 Thess. 5:18). ‘Giving thanks always for all things.’ (Eph. 5:20). But that our thanksgiving may be an act of humility it must not only come from the lips but from the heart, with a firm conviction that all good comes to us through the infinite mercy of God.”
—Rev. Cajetan da Bergamo, p. 87-88 Daily VerseStop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Matthew 7:1-2
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. Oswald of NorthumbriaPatron Saint of: England, soldiers, rulers, and peace
Feast Day: August 5 St. Oswald (605-642 A.D.) was the second of seven sons born to the pagan king of Northumbria in northern England. After his father was killed in battle, the kingdom was split. His uncle claimed the throne, while Oswald fled with his mother and brothers to Scotland for safety. There his family was converted to Christianity by the renowned monks of Iona. Oswald was educated by the holy monks and grew into a brave and pious warrior. After the death of his uncle and elder brother, Oswald moved to reclaim his father’s throne and liberate it from enemy rule. On the eve of a decisive battle, he received a vision of St. Columba who promised him success. Before battle, Oswald erected a cross and knelt before it in prayer, along with his army. Following his victory, St. Oswald reunited Northumbria and was made king. His influence as a monarch was so great that he was considered the Emperor of almost all of Britain, uniting the the Britons, Picts, Scots, and the English. He requested a bishop to be sent to his kingdom to aid in the conversion of his people to Christianity; he also invited St. Aidan and a group of Irish monks from Iona to found a monastery for the kingdom at Lindisfarne. This ushered in Northumbria’s “golden age” as the most important centre of learning and arts in the British Isles. Oswald ruled as a saintly and powerful Christian king, in justice, humility, and generosity to the poor and strangers, as noted by the prestigious historian, the Venerable Bede. St. Oswald was killed in battle, and afterwards the place of his death was noted for many miracles. His feast day is August 5th.
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Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 409 Reading 1Jeremiah 31:1-7 At that time, says the LORD,
I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel,
and they shall be my people.
Thus says the LORD:
The people that escaped the sword
have found favor in the desert.
As Israel comes forward to be given his rest,
the LORD appears to him from afar:
With age-old love I have loved you;
so I have kept my mercy toward you.
Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin Israel;
Carrying your festive tambourines,
you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.
Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.
Yes, a day will come when the watchmen
will call out on Mount Ephraim:
“Rise up, let us go to Zion,
to the LORD, our God.” For thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel. Responsorial PsalmJeremiah 31:10, 11-12ab, 13 R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy.
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock. AlleluiaLuke 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 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.
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Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
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From Word Among Us WAU.org
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Daily Meditation: Matthew 15:21-28It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs. (Matthew 15:26) Does Jesus seem a little rude in today’s Gospel? First, he doesn’t respond to the Canaanite woman’s cries for help. Then he claims he has come only to help the Israelites. Helping her, he says, would be like taking food from children (the Israelites) to feed to dogs (Gentiles). But the woman persists until Jesus, impressed with her faith, releases her daughter from the demon. It seems that, in addition to showing his disciples that he cares for Gentiles just as much as for Jews, Jesus was testing the woman. And that might make us uncomfortable. Because if Jesus tested her, he may test us as well. Maybe you’ve already felt that way when you have poured out urgent prayers to the Lord, but your circumstances don’t appear to change. You may have felt tempted to think that Jesus doesn’t care about you or has laid too many burdens on you. Let’s assume that Jesus was testing this woman. How did she respond? And what can we learn from her? First, she was confident that Jesus could help her. She wouldn’t have called out to him otherwise. You can also see her confidence in the way she addressed him: “Lord” (Matthew 15:25, 27). She sensed that Jesus could bring God’s healing to her daughter. Second, this woman was persistent. She wasn’t going to let her status as an outsider stand in her way of asking for what she needed. “No” was not an acceptable answer, and silence wouldn’t deter her. Finally, she was humble. Many people would have been offended if Jesus compared them to a dog, but not her. In fact, she took that comparison and used it to her advantage: “Even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters” (Matthew 15:27). Seeing this woman’s humility, persistence, and confidence, Jesus replied, “Great is your faith!” and healed her daughter on the spot (Matthew 15:28). If you ever feel God is testing you, take this Canaanite woman as your model. Persist in your prayers. Hold onto your confidence in Jesus’ love. And remain humble and open to whatever answer you receive. Jesus knows exactly what you need. “Lord, help me to place all my trust in you!” Jeremiah 31:1-7
(Psalm) Jeremiah 31:10-13
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "....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.”
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From Bishop Barron: "When Jesus enters a pagan territory, a Canaanite woman calls out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” She represents the longing of the world for the justice, the mercy, and the love of God. She senses correctly where this is to be found. She embodies the hunger of lost humanity.
Jesus’s responses move from silence, to an indirect rebuke, to an outright insult. And rolling with the punches, the woman responds with faith that pleases the Lord. Is Jesus testing the woman in order that she might know just how great her faith is? That was St. Augustine’s explanation for why God sometimes says no to repeated prayer. And this is why perseverance in prayer is so strongly recommended in the great tradition....” End quote.
From Roberto Juarez: " Today's Gospel leaves us with three great teachings. The first: God always hears persevering prayer. Although she seems to keep silent, she never stops caring for her children. The second: humility opens the heart to the action of grace. Those who recognize that they need God are prepared to receive his gifts. And the third: authentic faith never gives up. He is not discouraged by difficulties or gives up when the answers are slow to arrive.
Today let us introduce to the Lord those for whom we have been praying for a long time. Perhaps a child, a grandchild, a husband, a friend, a sick person or someone who has fallen away from the faith. Let us do it with the confidence of the Canaanite woman. And let us repeat with her that simple prayer that sums up the whole Christian life: "Lord, help me." May the Lord strengthen our faith so that we may never cease to hope in his mercy. And may Mary, Mother of the Church, teach us to persevere in prayer until God's will is fully fulfilled in our lives....." end quote.
From Brother Adrian: It is not right to give food for the children...to the dogs.
Was he calling the woman a dog?
Speaking of this awkward conversation...yesterday someone sent me an invitation to a baptism that is happening this afternoon...a baptism for a dog! Say what?
What complete ignorance of scripture and church teaching.
Dogs do not have a soul. They are a spirit with no soul in need of salvation. There is no need for animals to be saved, God will save what animals He desires, and most cases I hear of dogs in Heaven in near death experiences are positive, God knows who and what you love. Let us not go into this nonsense of mockery of marrying and baptizing pets!
Have I digressed? LOL.
The woman was called a dog? What was her case? What was so important to her that she was chasing our Lord and pleading to Him? The salvation of her daughter. Her daughter's salvation. Her daughter's suffering. Her daughter's very life! That salvation is of utmost importance.
Last night, I was asked to close a meeting of catechists with a prayer, and I petitioned our Lord to help us help Him save souls.
There is a very real battle for souls on earth. Distractions abound. Kids and parents are on their phones instead of speaking with each other. I notice it myself, sometimes, I catch myself on my phone and my kids are on their phones too.
They say this is producing a disconnect between people, instead of connecting. I believe it. I see myself wasting time as I'm supposedly working on investments online. Investing in what? Money? Tell me what you spend your time on the phone and I will tell you what you are investing in.
Now granted, I am heavily involved in many ministries and dealing with hundreds of people and tons of projects at once at work in family business and more. Great, but what about those that are depending on you for salvation. Back to the DOG. In english, the word Dog can be broken into 3 words.
Depend.
On.
God.
Rely on Him and not on your own understanding.
Seek and ye shall find.
Knock and the door shall be opened. But, sometimes, it takes a persistent widow's knock at the judge's door! Not everyone answers their door on the first knock. Amen?
Persistence pays, especially when it comes to prayer. Persist. Insist, and never stop.
And an answer will come upon the door being opened.
Now, what about the answer the lady gave to our Lord, huh?
Was it not amazing? Don't see it? Because our Lord was amazed, He said " “O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
This is God speaking. He is amazed by these people that were not of the so called "flock".
And so, we will see that our Lord begins to extend salvation even to those outside of the flock, a very core Catholic Teaching, and you know well Catholics are the first Christians of the world.
And so, when our Lord extends His arms on the cross, He extends salvation for the whole world, enshrined, forever embronzed for the world to see and believe, that God came, that God loves, and that God desires one thing He extended to the woman...Mercy.
This is God's heart opening...and pouring out to those who seek His Mercy.
Do you desire this mercy for salvation and healing?
We need this! We need our Lord! We need grace and mercy! Amen?
The woman's response was of a representation of the world.
You see, for those who have been given much (in this faith), much is required. Or else, even the little you have, could be taken away.
What have you been given?
They say that faith is a gift...from God. Therefore, you should exercise it. Prayer should not feel like a burden, but an exercise.
And prayer is not just asking God for stuff! Prayers should be a conversation with our Father. Prayers should be thanksgiving. Prayers should be offerings. Prayers should be like fasting and sacrificing.
My prayer is that we respond to God's seemingly negative answer, to be like that woman from Cana, of humility and persistence.
Humility and obedience go a very long ways, in the realms of the Kingdom of God, in Heaven and on earth.
This catches the eye of God. Mother Mary is a prime example.
And you? You too are catching His attention...now what will you say?
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Random Bible Verse 1
Isaiah 50:10 "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God."
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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