Thursday of the fifth week of the Ordinary Time Gospel: Mark 7:24-30 The shrewdness of the Syrian Phoenician woman
Today’s Gospel reading from St. Mark tells us that Jesus came to the region of Tyre, where foreigners gathered. There, He encountered a Syrian-Phoenician woman who beseeched Jesus for her daughter. Jesus, moved by the woman’s faith, cast out the demon from the child.
We often live in a state of comfort and ease. In our view, those who serve us with their sweat (such as the waiters in a restaurant who provide service with their physical strength when we dine there, the bus drivers who facilitate our travel when we choose to take public transportation, and the couriers who deliver our ordered goods to us after online shopping) seem to do their duty. When their actions fail to satisfy us, some of us may become resentful and vent our dissatisfaction on them in drastic ways. This is the behaviour of the devil within us.
Today, the Gentile woman who knelt before Jesus, praying for her daughter, stands as a model of faith. When her daughter was bound by the devil, she overcame the divisions between Jews and Gentiles by coming to Jesus and seeking grace for her daughter, having heard of Jesus. When Jesus said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” he meant that salvation belonged to the Jews, not to the Gentiles. The woman immediately replied, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the crumbs that fall from the children!” She meant that even though she was a Gentile, she also had a share in the salvation granted by God. Jesus granted her request because of her faith. Her daughter, too, was liberated from the devil’s bondage and regained her freedom, thanks to her faith. This is what the Holy Spirit does when we receive baptism into Christ.
We have been baptized into Christ and united with the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, our behaviour and demeanour should be in harmony with our Lord Jesus Christ. Our primary pursuit should be the kingdom of God and its righteousness, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God, so that our thoughts, words, and actions may resemble Christ, always and everywhere manifesting Christ’s benevolence and love to the world. Amen.
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time / Our Lady of Lourdes Gospel: Mk 7:14-23 Imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary and Possess a Pure Heart
Today, the Church celebrates the optional memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. We know that from February 11, 1858, to July 16, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to Bernadette, who was then only 14 years old, in Lourdes. During her last apparition to Bernadette, the Blessed Virgin identified herself as the Immaculate Conception. On January 18, 1862, the local bishop of Lourdes, Bertrand-Sévère Laurence of Tarbes, acknowledged the authenticity of the Marian apparitions in the locality. On February 1, 1876, Pope Pius IX issued a decree crowning the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. Cardinal Pier Francesco Meglia performed the crowning ceremony for the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes on July 3, 1876, at what is now the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (Rosary Basilica). In 1933, Pope Pius XI canonized Bernadette.
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus redefines for us what is clean and unclean. He tells us, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of a person, come forth evil thoughts…” (cf. Mk 7:18, 20-21). This differs from the prevailing thoughts of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and mainstream Jewish society at that time, as they adhered to the Law of Moses and the Torah (cf. Lev 11-16). Just like them, we often follow the guidance of the flesh and yearn for worldly matters, causing us to remain trapped in the snares set by the devil. Therefore, it is necessary for us to imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary, for she solely pursued the things of God and sought to better assist the Savior in fulfilling His redemptive work.
I would like to say that the Marian apparitions in Lourdes still have a profound impact on us to this day. The 18 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in Lourdes are the best proof of the Blessed Virgin’s participation in the redemptive mission of our Savior Jesus Christ. Her heart is forever pure. Saint Bernadette, with her simplicity and faithfulness to the Blessed Virgin, under the illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit, constantly meditated on and discerned the inspirations from the Blessed Virgin, thus setting an example for us. Now, let us join Saint Bernadette and countless brothers and sisters in Christ who have made pilgrimages to Lourdes in prayer:
Grant us, O merciful God, protection in our weakness, that we, who keep the Memorial of the Immaculate Mother of God, may, with the help of her intercession, rise up from our iniquities. 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. Amen.
Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin Gospel: Mark 7:1-13 The New Teaching of Jesus
Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Scholastica. The Gospel for today’s Mass is taken from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark, which reveals a debate between Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes who came from Jerusalem.
In our daily lives, we often pay close attention to our outward appearance before others. For instance, when attending public events, we may beforehand arrange for a haircut, take a bath, and put on attire reserved only for festive occasions. Likewise, when conversing with others, we are particularly mindful of our external presentation, as we always wish to display our best side to the world. The Pharisees were much the same; they placed great emphasis on their outward appearance. Thus, upon noticing that Jesus and His disciples did not observe the customs they rigidly upheld, they began to reproach them: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”
Similarly, when we participate in the Mass, we often fixate on the demeanor of the priest, lectors, and altar servers at the altar, yet we neglect the presence of God. In our minds, if those serving at the altar—the priest, lectors, and altar servers—do not conduct themselves in the sacred liturgy exactly as we envision, we are quick to pass judgment upon them.
Today, let us imitate Saint Scholastica, seeking Christ with single-hearted devotion rather than pursuing mere external rituals. For while the liturgy holds importance, our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is of far greater significance. Saint Scholastica was devoted to the Savior Christ throughout her entire life, and her thoughts were always in harmony with His. Having been united with the Lord Jesus through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are called to be conformed to Him in every aspect.
As we celebrate anew the Memorial of the Virgin Saint Scholastica, we pray, O Lord, that, following her example, we may serve you with pure love and happily receive what comes from loving you. 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. Amen.
全属于祢 
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