Marist Association Daily Prayer

Let us always remember that

we are in the holy presence of God

May God continue to live in our hearts

In the name of the Father,

Son and Holy Spirit

Amen

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN
  • Intention of the Day
  • Today's Gospel
  • Breaking Open the Word
  • Marist Source
  • Reflection
  • Meditation
  • Call to Action
  • Closing Prayer

Intention of the Day

That we be willing to put aside our personal interests.
Marists attending the Footsteps 2 Programme at Mittagong.

That we be willing to put aside our personal interests.
Marists attending the Footsteps 2 Programme at Mittagong.

Today's Gospel. Saints Sixtus II, Cajetan.

'Woman, you have great faith. Let your desire be granted.' And from that moment her daughter was well again.

Matthew 15: 28.
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Matthew 15: 21- 28.

21 Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And suddenly out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, 'Lord, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.'

23 But he said not a word in answer to her. And his disciples went and pleaded with him, saying, 'Give her what she wants, because she keeps shouting after us.'

24 He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.'

25 But the woman had come up and was bowing low before him. 'Lord,' she said, 'help me.'

26 He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to little dogs.'

27 She retorted, 'Ah yes, Lord; but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table.'

28 Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great faith. Let your desire be granted.' And from that moment her daughter was well again.

Breaking Open The Word

Jesus enters a relationship with her, binding both her and himself in dialogue.

Taken from: Give Us This Day
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Taken from: Give Us This Day

Claiming God’s Grace.

Engaging with someone in need will lead us to the scars in our own heart. Only when we let this happen can compassion be born and healing occur. In the end, we all stand together, hungry and thirsty before our God as God’s chosen people. Only then will boundaries and distinctions fall away.

Like the Canaanite woman, we too can lay claim to God’s grace and healing, no matter who we are. We do not have to belong to the right church or follow the right rules and obligations. She didn’t, yet great was her faith. Sometimes established religious institutions become the obstacle instead of the vehicle for the Gospel.

It is that freedom of the Gospel, filled with the boundless grace of God, that makes Jesus exclaim: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done to you as you wish.” Despite Jesus’ initial reluctance, never once does he rebuke the woman, never does he silence her, and never does he send her away. Instead, Jesus engages her in dialogue. Jesus enters a relationship with her, binding both her and himself in dialogue. God’s inclusiveness has nothing to do with cheap grace that makes no demands or has no expectations. It has everything to do with human dignity and the cost of entering into relationship. In and through Jesus Christ, God entered into relationship with all humanity. For God, there is no turning back, and neither is there for us. Like the Canaanite woman’s faith, our faith in God’s unfailing grace will bring us healing and lead us to God. Even if we feel like the dogs under the master’s table, we are still entitled to the scraps that fall from that table.

Standing before God with bold faith, we can indeed claim God’s grace and healing, no matter who we are and no matter what church, if any, we belong to.

Marie-Louise Ternier-Gommers, Finding the Treasure Within. Taken from Give Us This Day.

Marie-Louise Ternier-Gommers is a writer, editor, and workshop and retreat leader with more than twenty-five years of diocesan ministry experience. She blogs at graceatsixty.wordpress.com.

That we be willing to put aside our personal interests.
Marists attending the Footsteps 2 Programme at Mittagong.

Marist Source

The more our evangelisation is rooted in our distinctive spirituality, the more effective it becomes.

# WFR 35.

That we be willing to put aside our personal interests.
Marists attending the Footsteps 2 Programme at Mittagong.

To Ponder

'She retorted “yes, sir; but even ..''- our engagement with Life|Love|God is not all meek and mild - it's meant to be robust, urgent, alive.

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Closing Prayer

All Loving God

Cultivate in us a spirituality that flows out of Marian simplicity, humility and modesty.

Release in us wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement for your work in which we share.

Help us set our gaze on those people and places most in need of Christlife,

Impel us to respond together,

And lead us to be in communion with one another, and with you.

Like Mary, we listen for your invitation,

Like Mary, we set out joyfully and in haste to the hill country of the lives of young people,

Like Mary, we build communities in ways that are Christ-centred.

All Loving God, come and live in our hearts.

 

 Amen