Reading 1 Jer 31:1-7
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 Psalm Jer 31:10, 11-12ab, 13
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.
Alleluia Lk 7:16
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 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.
LOVE LOVES ME
"With age-old love I have loved you." –Jeremiah 31:3
God the Father has loved us into being. There has never been a moment when we have not been loved perfectly by Him. He loves us so much that He has sent His eternally begotten Son to die for us (Jn 3:16). He has also given us the Holy Spirit, the eternal Fruit of the love of the Father and the Son. We are loved with a divine, constant, perfect, crucified, unconditional, and infinite love.
Beloved, it is impossible for us to be loved more. Yet we can "grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love, and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge" (Eph 3:18-19). We must "come to know and to believe in the love God has for us" (1 Jn 4:16). "God is Love," and we can abide in love (1 Jn 4:16). Thereby, we abide in God and God in us (1 Jn 4:16).
As we receive God's love, we can respond by loving Him with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves (Mt 22:37-39). In His love, we can even love our enemies. Live in God's love (Jn 15:10).
| PRAYER: | Sacred Heart of Jesus, I accept You as my Lord, Love, and God. |
| PROMISE: | "Woman, you have great faith! Your wish will come to pass." –Mt 15:28 |
| PRAISE: | Rhonda obeyed God's command to show unconditional love to her atheist neighbor, whom she saw baptized before her death. |
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