Feast of St. Teilo - Wales
February 9th, 2012
"O Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever."
Psalm 106 v.1
Jesus meets with a Syrophoenician woman who begs him to heal her little daughter. On reading this section from Mark’s gospel, I am reminded of recent experiences in our own country where innocent people have been murdered because of the colour of their skin. On reading Jesus’ response to the woman, one would wonder why he answered her request in such a harsh way. His words seemed to say it would be like throwing garbage to wild dogs. To us, this seems so out of character for Jesus. However, the woman still believes in him, accepts his response in all humility and because of this, Jesus cures her daughter.
How do I find meaning in my own life from this passage? Has Jesus ever refused to answer my prayers? I may think so on some occasions. However, looking back on life, I realise that though God seems not to have answered my prayer, I know he has answered it in another way. He knows me and knows what would bring me to be the person he created me to be.
Prayer
Lord, when things seem to go wrong in life and I am upset, anxious or afraid, let your peace surround me that I may know that you are at my side. Amen
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
Hope
John XXIII, referred to as the ‘caretaker Pope’, realising the widening gap between the Church and the world of his day, wrote: “An old world is disappearing. Another one is being formed, and with this I am trying to conceal some good seed or other that will have its springtime, even if it is somewhat delayed, and comes after I’m dead.”
Thomas Merton writes: “One must not give in to defeatism and despair: just as one must hope for life in a mortal illness which has been declared incurable.”
Even when dark clouds surround us, even when everything appears to be falling apart, we must continue to believe for a better future. Whatever the problem, there is a way forward.
So, my hope is in God alone because I believe in him; this is my faith. It is in him I put my faith and that faith, my belief in God’s love for me and all his creation, is the bedrock in which like an anchor, I put my hope. Together with that hope and faith is my love and fidelity in responding to that God in whom I live and move and have my being. In him I place my hope.
“Hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor of the soul” (Heb 6:15-19).
