Daily Readings - Wed Aug 09 2017
Numbers
1The LORD said to Moses,2"Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders."25At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.26They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.27They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.28But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.29The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan."30Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."31But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are."32And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.33We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
1That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!26The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:27"How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.28So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say:29In this desert your bodies will fall-every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.34For forty years-one year for each of the forty days you explored the land-you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.'35I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die."
Matthew
21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."25The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.26He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."27"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."28Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful lessons on faith and trust in God. The first reading from Numbers recounts 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 indeed fertile and abundant, the majority of the spies are overwhelmed by fear. They focus on the strength of the inhabitants and the size of the cities, convincing the people that the task of conquering the land is impossible. This lack of faith leads to rebellion against Moses and Aaron, and ultimately, the Lord’s judgment: the generation that refused to trust in His promise would wander the wilderness for forty years, never entering the land.
In contrast, the Gospel from Matthew presents a woman of great faith, a Canaanite who approaches Jesus with persistence and humility. Though initially rebuffed, she refuses to give up, even when Jesus seems to dismiss her by comparing her to a dog. Instead, she seizes on His words, acknowledging the truth of His statement but also trusting in His mercy. Her faith is rewarded when Jesus heals her daughter, commending her for her perseverance and trust.
These readings remind us that faith is not about having all the answers or being free from fear, but about trusting in God’s promises even when the path ahead seems uncertain. The Israelites in the wilderness allowed their fear to overshadow God’s covenant, while the Canaanite woman let her faith overcome every obstacle. In our own lives, we face moments of doubt and fear, but the Lord invites us to step out in trust, knowing that He is always with us. Let us ask for the grace to imitate the Canaanite woman’s perseverance and faith, that we might see God’s wonders in our own lives.