Daily Readings - Wed Aug 04 2021
Numbers
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,2Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.25And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.26And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.27And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.28Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.29The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.30And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.31But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.32And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.33And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
1And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.2And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!26And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,27How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.28Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:29Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,34After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.35I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
Matthew
21Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.22And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.23But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.24But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.25Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.26But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.27And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.28Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Sermon
The readings today present us with two powerful stories that invite us to reflect on faith, trust, and the human condition. In the first reading from Numbers, we hear the story of the Israelites as they stand at the threshold of the Promised Land. Despite the promise of a land "flowing with milk and honey," the people are paralyzed by fear and doubt. The spies they sent to scout the land return with a mixed report: while the land is indeed fertile and abundant, its inhabitants are strong and formidable. Faced with this uncertainty, the people murmur against Moses and God, refusing to trust in God's plan. Their lack of faith leads to a tragic consequence: they will wander in the wilderness for forty years, a generation lost to unbelief.
In the Gospel, we encounter a very different kind of faith. A Canaanite woman, desperate for her daughter’s healing, approaches Jesus with persistence and humility. Despite being a Gentile and facing initial rejection, she refuses to give up. Her bold declaration of faith—"Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table"—moves Jesus to commend her faith and grant her request. This woman’s story stands in stark contrast to the Israelites in the wilderness. While the Israelites allowed fear to dominate their hearts, this woman allowed faith to guide her actions, even in the face of uncertainty.
These readings remind us that faith is not about having all the answers or being free from fear. It is about trusting in God’s providence, even when the path ahead seems uncertain. Like the Canaanite woman, we are called to approach God with persistence and humility, trusting that He hears us and desires our good. At the same time, the story of the Israelites warns us about the dangers of letting fear and doubt take root in our hearts. May we learn to trust in God’s plan, even when the challenges seem insurmountable. Let us ask for the grace to have the kind of faith that perseveres and seeks God’s will, no matter the obstacles we face.