We are invited to persevere in practicing true faith in God, in what truly pleases him.

First Reading: 1 Kings 11:4-13 By coming into contact with a foreign and pagan woman, Jesus prepares his disciples for when he sends them “into all the nations.” The Word of God proclaims happy those who respect the Lord, guarding themselves from all forms of idolatry. Reading from the first book of Kings – 4When Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart away to other gods and his heart no longer belonged entirely to the Lord, his God, like that of his father, David. 5Solomon worshiped Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Melcom, the idol of the Ammonites. 6He did what displeased the Lord and was not completely faithful to him, like his father David. 7So Solomon built a sanctuary for Chemosh, an idol of Moab, on the mountain opposite Jerusalem, and for Melcom, an idol of the Ammonites. 8He did the same for all his foreign women, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. 9Then the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10and had expressly forbidden him to follow other gods. But he did not obey the Lord's command. 11And the Lord said to Solomon, “Since you have done this and have not kept my covenant or the laws I prescribed for you, I will take the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. 12But for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will snatch him from your son's hand. 13I will not take away the whole kingdom from you, but I will leave your son one tribe, out of consideration for my servant David and for Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” - Word of the Lord. Responsorial Psalm: 105(106) Remember, O Lord, me, remember, / according to the love you show to your people! 1. Happy are those who keep their precepts / and practice justice at all times! / Remember, O Lord, me, remember, / for the love you show to your people! – R. 2. They then mixed with the pagans / and learned their depraved customs. / They worshiped pagan idols, / which became a trap for them. – R. 3. For they sacrificed even their own sons, / they sacrificed their daughters to demons. / The wrath of God was kindled against his people, / and the Lord abhorred his inheritance. – R. Gospel: Mark 7,24-30 Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Docilely accept the Word sown in you, my brothers; / she can save your lives! (James 1:21) – R. Proclamation of the holy Gospel according to Mark – At that time, 24Jesus left and went to the region of Tire and Sidonia. He entered a house and didn't want anyone to know where he was. But he couldn't stay hidden. 25A woman who had a daughter with an unclean spirit heard about Jesus. She went to him and fell at her feet. 26The woman was a pagan, born in Phoenicia in Syria. She begged Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27Jesus said, “First let the children be satisfied, because it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28The woman replied, “True, Lord; but also the dogs, under the table, eat the crumbs that the children drop.” 29Then Jesus said, “Because of what you have just said, you can go home. The devil has already left your daughter.” 30She returned home and found her daughter lying in bed, for the demon had already left her. – Word of salvation. Reflection: Jesus finds himself outside his usual mission field. Even so, he “could not remain unnoticed”. A foreign lady discovers him and, with a gesture of respect, asks him to cure her “daughter possessed by an unclean spirit”. Perhaps to test this woman's faith, Jesus makes it difficult to provide assistance. But, faced with her insistence, he gives in to her pleas. He assures her that, because of her extraordinary faith, her daughter is already healed. Jesus is not a magician who spends his time performing wonders to impress the people. Jesus is not a miracle worker. The miracle occurs when the person requesting it is willing to believe in Jesus and follow in his footsteps. Sometimes, the person does not go beyond the benefit received. Your heart is not yet prepared to walk the paths of the Lord.

​We are invited to persevere in practicing true faith in God, in what truly pleases him.

First Reading: 1 Kings 11:4-13 By coming into contact with a foreign and pagan woman, Jesus prepares his disciples for when he sends them “into all the nations.” The Word of God proclaims happy those who respect the Lord, guarding themselves from all forms of idolatry. Reading from the first book of Kings – 4When Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart away to other gods and his heart no longer belonged entirely to the Lord, his God, like that of his father, David. 5Solomon worshiped Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Melcom, the idol of the Ammonites. 6He did what displeased the Lord and was not completely faithful to him, like his father David. 7So Solomon built a sanctuary for Chemosh, an idol of Moab, on the mountain opposite Jerusalem, and for Melcom, an idol of the Ammonites. 8He did the same for all his foreign women, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. 9Then the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10and had expressly forbidden him to follow other gods. But he did not obey the Lord's command. 11And the Lord said to Solomon, “Since you have done this and have not kept my covenant or the laws I prescribed for you, I will take the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. 12But for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will snatch him from your son's hand. 13I will not take away the whole kingdom from you, but I will leave your son one tribe, out of consideration for my servant David and for Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” - Word of the Lord. Responsorial Psalm: 105(106) Remember, O Lord, me, remember, / according to the love you show to your people! 1. Happy are those who keep their precepts / and practice justice at all times! / Remember, O Lord, me, remember, / for the love you show to your people! – R. 2. They then mixed with the pagans / and learned their depraved customs. / They worshiped pagan idols, / which became a trap for them. – R. 3. For they sacrificed even their own sons, / they sacrificed their daughters to demons. / The wrath of God was kindled against his people, / and the Lord abhorred his inheritance. – R. Gospel: Mark 7,24-30 Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Docilely accept the Word sown in you, my brothers; / she can save your lives! (James 1:21) – R. Proclamation of the holy Gospel according to Mark – At that time, 24Jesus left and went to the region of Tire and Sidonia. He entered a house and didn't want anyone to know where he was. But he couldn't stay hidden. 25A woman who had a daughter with an unclean spirit heard about Jesus. She went to him and fell at her feet. 26The woman was a pagan, born in Phoenicia in Syria. She begged Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27Jesus said, “First let the children be satisfied, because it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28The woman replied, “True, Lord; but also the dogs, under the table, eat the crumbs that the children drop.” 29Then Jesus said, “Because of what you have just said, you can go home. The devil has already left your daughter.” 30She returned home and found her daughter lying in bed, for the demon had already left her. – Word of salvation. Reflection: Jesus finds himself outside his usual mission field. Even so, he “could not remain unnoticed”. A foreign lady discovers him and, with a gesture of respect, asks him to cure her “daughter possessed by an unclean spirit”. Perhaps to test this woman's faith, Jesus makes it difficult to provide assistance. But, faced with her insistence, he gives in to her pleas. He assures her that, because of her extraordinary faith, her daughter is already healed. Jesus is not a magician who spends his time performing wonders to impress the people. Jesus is not a miracle worker. The miracle occurs when the person requesting it is willing to believe in Jesus and follow in his footsteps. Sometimes, the person does not go beyond the benefit received. Your heart is not yet prepared to walk the paths of the Lord.

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