This Week’s Gospel Message for Sunday, August 16th is from Matthew 15:21-28.
“And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, ‘Have pity of me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon’ . . . Jesus’ 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.’ . . . Then Jesus said to her in reply, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.”
“The Canaanite woman broke through a number of boundaries, but it was Jesus who broke through the first one. He journeyed to Tyre and Sidon, two cities in Phoenicia, part of Syria, where the people worshiped pagan gods. Jesus went outside Israel and found people of great faith outside the chosen ones. We too may find open hearts and willing souls outside our own borders.”
Source: Pastoral Patterns, Autumn 2020
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday Ezek 24:15-23; Matt 19:16-23
Tuesday Ezek 28:1-10; Matt 19:23-30
Wednesday Ezek 34:1-11; Matt 20:1-16
Thursday Ezek 36:23-28; Matt 22:1-14
Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Memorial) – “Born in France, he entered the Benedictine abbey of Citeaux. After three years, he was made abbot of a new monastery in a valley known as Clairvaux (the Valley of Light). His writings have had a profound and lasting influence on Catholic spirituality. When he died, all of Europe mourned. He was declared a doctor of the Church in 1830.”
Friday Ezek 37:1-14; Matt 22:34-40
Saint Pius X, Pope (Memorial) – “Born in Italy, Giuseppe Sarto spent seventeen years involved in pastoral ministry before becoming bishop of Mantua, cardinal patriarch of Venice, and pope. His sacramental recommendations and encyclicals reflected his pastoral background, advocating frequent communion for adults, sacramental preparation for children, and instruction in catechism for everyone.”
Saturday Ezek 43:1-7ab; Matt 23:1-12
The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial) – “In 1954, Pius XII instituted this memorial ‘so that all may clearly recognize and more zealously venerate the kind and maternal rule of the Mother of God.’ It is celebrated on the octave of the feast of the Assumption.” Source: Living With Christ, August 2020.