Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 12: Year 1
Morning, Psalm 69; Evening, Psalm 73;
2nd Samuel 5:1to 12; Acts 17:1 to 15; Mark 7:24 to 37
“But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone:” (Mark 7: 28 to 30)
This is probably one of the greatest examples of humility in the Bible. The Gentile (Syrophoenician) woman and mother will go to whomever she can to rid her daughter of a demon.
The lesson for us is to not boast about our ethnicity, race, culture or ancestry. I continue to preach that it is not, what you are, that means anything, but rather, who you are, that means everything. The only blood relationship that mattered to the Syrophoenician woman is the direct offspring of her daughter. Will her daughter appreciate her mother’s courage and devoted love for her when she is old enough to realize what her mother did to save her? Who knows?
I agree with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” It is the content of one’s character that determines who a person really is.
Our Lord Jesus felt the faith, love and humility of the Syrophoenician mother. Our Lord Jesus still feels the faith love and humility of each of us no matter our race, country of origin, language, or ancestry. We, all of us are people, brought forth in the spiritual image of the Creator.
We were brought forth by love, to love. All barriers set up by humankind such as race, language, nationality, and sexual orientation depreciation, have their origin in the desire to disrupt our God-given gift of love for one another. We are most especially gifted to love those who differ from us in looks and desires. Too often, what a person looks like and, or, what they want in life, makes us judge them harshly. This ought not to be. Let us look upon our brothers and sisters as they express their joy in their vocations, their hobbies, their love of family, or their love of their significant other. We should not want anybody to be sad or miserable. When our neighbor is joyful, we can share in their joy. Sharing in the healthy joy of others shows the content of our character.
For this evening and tomorrow day my friends; Shabbat Shalom.
Let us live to love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
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