Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 7, 24-30
Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
A mother’s faith is miraculous
1. A mother’s heart. Reflect on your own mother, just as I do mine—how many times have they prayed to God for us? A mother’s concern for her child runs deep; she experiences profound worry, especially when her child seems “possessed,” that is, living far from God, without light or direction. The woman in the Gospel wasn’t part of Jesus’s community, but her child’s suffering pushed her to seek Jesus out. In her, we see those who desperately ask for a miracle they’ve long needed. Countless mothers turn to Jesus for their children. Today, you are living proof of your mother’s prayers.
2. Persistent prayer. There’s a saying: “Pray to God but keep rowing.” This expresses the idea that we must pray and seek God’s help at the right time but also keep taking action. Don’t lose heart—keep asking, keep seeking. Like the woman in the Gospel, don’t give up. Persist in your request, even to the point of “driving God crazy.” He can handle our persistence! Don’t be discouraged; keep approaching God. The key is to pray and ask for grace when needed, never giving up. Trust that God can intervene where we can’t. Knowing and relying on God makes all things new.
3. Break free from the devil. One of the devil’s main strategies is to spread lies. Strive to be a person of truth and integrity. Don’t let your life be ruled by a lack of God or by living in falsehood. Stand firm in your faith and be clear about who you are.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
