Wednesday 5 August 2026
Dedication of St Mary Major
Jeremiah 31:1-7. The Lord will guard us, like a shepherd guarding his flock – Jeremiah 31:10-13. Matthew 15:21-28.
Resilient faith
Today’s Gospel appears to show Jesus in a bad mood. A Canaanite woman is annoying the disciples. She won’t give up. After all, her daughter is tormented and she is desperate. Jesus’ companions want her to go away. Then Jesus makes one of his most unkind statements. He compares her to a house dog. In those days, house dogs were not pampered as they sometimes are these days with shampoos and special diets. They just got the scraps. The woman sticks to her guns and Jesus is moved by her faith and determination. The prophet Jeremiah touches a similar nerve. ‘They have found pardon in the wilderness’, he says of the people. Like the woman, they have survived tough days and know the value of a resilient faith. ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love,’ says the Lord through the prophet. ‘I am constant in my love for you’.
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