August 5, 2026
Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome
Gospel: Matthew 15:21–28

Today is Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time. The Church observes today as the Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. The recently published Roman Missal introduces this Optional Memorial as follows: In 431, the Council of Ephesus declared the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the Mother of God (Theotokos). Shortly afterwards, Pope Sixtus III dedicated the rebuilt Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome in her honour. According to tradition, the site of the basilica was originally indicated by a miraculous snowfall on 5 August, in the midst of the Roman summer, thus earning it the title “Our Lady of the Snows.” This basilica is regarded as the foremost church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and its dedication day renews our bond with Rome.

Today’s passage from the Gospel of Matthew presents to us a dialogue between Jesus and the Canaanite woman as He passes through the region of Tyre and Sidon. Let us offer some reflections.

First, Matthew tells us that Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon (cf. Mt 15:21). Biblical scholar Graham H. Twelvetrees holds that Jesus did not actually enter Tyre and Sidon but went to the area across the sea. This accords well with the location of the events described today, for we know that Tyre was a Mediterranean city situated twenty-three miles north of Acre in Israel.

Next, Matthew tells us that a Canaanite woman came to Jesus, crying out on behalf of her daughter, begging Him to free her child from the torment of a demon (cf. Mt 15:22). This mirrors situations we encounter in our own lives. For we often turn to others for help amid the various needs of daily life. When we seek assistance from them, we commonly meet with two kinds of responses: when we encounter those who are generous and open-hearted, we receive, through their selfless giving, part or all of the aid we long for; but when we meet those who are indifferent in all things, they are like the disciples in today’s Gospel (cf. Mt 15:22–24)—no matter how earnestly we plead, they are unwilling to help, for in their eyes, so long as they themselves have enough to eat and wear, that suffices.

Finally, Matthew recounts the dialogue between Jesus and this Canaanite woman (cf. Mt 15:23–28). In this woman we can see a prefigurement of Holy Mother Church. When her children are held fast by the devil and the powers of the netherworld, she, like a tender mother, intercedes with Jesus for those sons and daughters ensnared in sin, so that the Lord Christ, who is rich in mercy, might—through the supplications offered by the Church—gather once more those “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (cf. Mt 15:24) and unite them together in the communion of the Most Holy Trinity. We who once lived in sin and death were by right undeserving of God’s mercy; yet God, who is rich in mercy, “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (cf. 2 Cor 5:21). Thus, for all who in faith trust in Christ, who follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, rely upon the Holy Spirit, and mortify the deeds of the flesh, they become children of God. Their faith, like that of this Canaanite woman, will remain steadfastly confident in God. They shall surely possess a humility like hers (cf. Mt 15:25–27), receive every grace bestowed by God, and be delivered from sin and death (cf. Mt 15:28). And so, when they come to the end of this earthly life, they shall attain eternal life.

We who once lived in sin and death were by right undeserving of God’s mercy; yet God, who is rich in mercy, “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (cf. 2 Cor 5:21). Thus, for all who in faith trust in Christ, who follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, rely upon the Holy Spirit, and mortify the deeds of the flesh, they become children of God. Their faith, like that of this Canaanite woman, will remain steadfastly confident in God. They shall surely possess a humility like hers (cf. Mt 15:25–27), receive every grace bestowed by God, and be delivered from sin and death (cf. Mt 15:28). And so, when they come to the end of this earthly life, they shall attain eternal life.

On this feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, let us join with the shepherds of the Church in Rome and raise our prayers to God:

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
God, for ever and ever

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica