Wednesday of 18th week Year A By Tobe Eze

Wednesday of 18^th week Year A

First Reading

Numbers 13:1-2.25-14:1.26-29.34-35

Second Reading

Matthew 15:21-28

THEME: WITH COURAGE AND PERSISTENCE, WE WILL OBTAIN FAVOUR FROM GOD.

The problem many of us have including my own self is that we lack the courage to confront our problems in life sometimes and also we lose faith very quickly. I was going somewhere to visit my classmate where he was doing his pastoral experience one day. I was calling him and his number was not connecting. I was almost reaching his parish and I concluded, since his number is not connecting, that shows he is busy and I turned back. In the evening, he called me to know how things were moving and I told him my experience and he told me he was home throughout the day. I regretted turning back but it was already late. That taught me that Hope is a very good breakfast but a very bad supper.

In the first reading, majority of those that went to spy the land promised them by God came back and removed the little hope and courage in the people. They had no courage to go into war with the people living in the land promised them because probably they did not trust in what God can do. But two outstanding men, Joshua and Caleb made them to know that they can do it and persisted in it and days to come we shall hear the result.

In the gospel, we can see both courage and persistence in full action. The Canaanite woman had the courage to meet Jesus and also the virtue of persistence. If you do not want what happened to me to happen to you, learn from this woman to come to the Lord with courage and persistence even when we think God has insulted us. God is always with us if we have courage to meet him and persist in following him. Thanks.