Our Lady of Lourdes 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Genesis 2:18-25

Yahweh God said,

“It is not good for Man to be alone; I will give him a helper who will be like him.” Then Yahweh God formed from the earth all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air and brought them to Man to see what he would call them; and whatever Man called every living creature, that was its name.

 So Man gave names to all the cattle, the birds of the air and to every beast of the field. But he did not find among them a helper like himself. Then Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to come over Man and he fell asleep.

He took one of his ribs and filled its place with flesh. The rib which Yahweh God had taken from Man he formed into a woman and brought her to the man. The man then said, “Now this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.

She shall be called woman because she was taken from man.” That is why man leaves his father and mother and is attached to his wife, and with her becomes one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked and were not ashamed.

 

Ps 128:1-2, 3-4, 4-5

Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Mark 7:24-30

 When Jesus left that place he went to the border of the Tyrian country. There he ­entered a house and did not want any­one to know he was there, but he could not remain hidden. 

A woman, whose small daughter had an evil spirit, heard of him and came and fell at his feet. Now this woman was a pagan, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.

 Jesus told her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she replied, “Sir, even the dogs un­der the table eat the crumbs from the children’s bread.”

Then Jesus said to her, “You may go your way; because of such a reply the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And when the wo­man went home, she found her child lying in bed and the demon gone.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Those who truly love will go to great lengths to ease the burden or help their beloved. The Syrophoenician woman is an example of this. She is a mother. Her daughter is oppressed by an evil spirit.

She knows that no self-respecting Jew would entertain her, much more a respected and popular teacher like Jesus. But her love made her daring but at the same time meek.

She dared cross the social boundary separating her from Jesus but humbly present her plea. In front of a seeming negative answer, she swallowed her pride and pressed on.

Her love for her daughter is stronger than her pride. That is why Jesus is conquered, conquered by a love that does not give up. Because it mirrors His own and His Father’s tenacious love for humanity gone astray.