Wednesday, August 8th 2018

Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest

LECTIONARY
409

FIRST READING
JER 31:1-7

At that time, says the LORD,
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.

PSALM
JEREMIAH 31:10, 11-12AB, 13

Response: The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Daily Reflection

8th August 2018

St. Dominic

Jeremiah describes the return home of the exiles of the Northern Kingdom from the lands where the Assyrians had resettled them. Brought down to their knees, their only hope is Yahweh... and that is all that God requires. Their return will be fruitful and they will be restored because God has had pity on them and met them in their distress.

The Gospel also narrates how Jesus has pity on a Syro-Phoenician woman... but not before he has tested her faith and resolve. Anyone else would have cringed on being called a dog – Jews often referred to non-Jews as dogs. But this woman is able to maintain her focus on Jesus, no matter what. And she is rewarded.

St. Dominic was one such priest. Seeing the harm that erroneous and malicious preaching was doing to the church, he launched out rectifying the wrongs and founding the “Order of Preachers”.

It is important to really know your faith in order to practice and share it.