Kids and Dogs
Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
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.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
This is one of the most troubling Gospel passages because of how it seems that Jesus is treating a woman in a desperate situation. Actually, it’s astonishingly beautiful. He certainly wants to give her what she begs for, and ultimately He does, but (as Augustine says) first, Christ actually makes this non-Jewish woman more deserving of the gift by making her persevere in faith in Christ. She receives healing and on top of that she places faith in the One to Whom it belongs!
It is worth mentioning here, that we see more evil spirits (aka - demons = fallen angels) in the Gospels when Jesus is outside of traditionally Jewish territories. There is a reason for this. Those who are open to God receive His blessings (for instance, His protection from evil) in a different way than those who are not open to God. We Christians have to (have to!) take seriously the fact that we have an amazingly important blessing of faith and that we need to share this blessing with people who don’t know the Good News of Jesus Christ. We have what everyone is seeking for… we’d be selfish if we did not share with them what they need and (whether they know it or not) what they really ultimately want!
Together as a family pray a portion of the Rosary (i.e. – very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture above. (Optional – allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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