Daily Readings - Wed Aug 07 2019
Numbers
1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,2"Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them."25At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land.26And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.27And they told him, "We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.28However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.29The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan."30But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it."31Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are."32So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.33And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."
1Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.2And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!26And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,27"How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.28Say to them, 'As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:29your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me,34According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.'35I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die."
Matthew
21And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.22And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon."23But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us."24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."25But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."26And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."27She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."28Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of faith, trust, and God’s providence. In the first reading from Numbers, we hear the story of the Israelites as they stand at the threshold of the Promised Land. Moses sends spies to explore Canaan, and while the land is rich and fertile, the spies return with a mix of awe and fear. They describe the strong occupants and walled cities, and the people begin to doubt God’s promise. Caleb, however, stands firm in his faith, urging the people to trust in God’s power. But the Israelites’ lack of faith leads to their punishment: they will wander in the wilderness for forty years, one year for each day the spies spent exploring the land.
In the Gospel, we encounter a very different kind of faith. A Canaanite woman, desperate to save her demon-afflicted daughter, approaches Jesus. Despite being a Gentile and facing initial rejection, she persists in her plea. Her humility and unwavering faith move Jesus to commend her, saying, “Great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” Her daughter is healed instantly. This woman’s story contrasts sharply with the Israelites’ failure to trust in God’s plan. While the Israelites doubted God’s power to give them the land, this woman trusted in Jesus’ power to heal her child, even when it seemed impossible.
These readings remind us that faith is not about having all the answers or feeling certain about the outcome. It is about trusting in God’s goodness and providence, even when the path ahead seems uncertain or difficult. Like Caleb, we are called to stand firm in our faith, even when others around us waver. And like the Canaanite woman, we are invited to approach God with humility and persistence, knowing that our prayers are heard and that God’s grace can overcome even the greatest challenges. May we, like these examples, grow in faith and trust in God’s plan for our lives.