Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website. 

What a week here at Nativity! Many left our parish mission renewed in spirit and healed in mind and body.

The Gospels for the last week have all focused on healing and deliverance. This should be of little surprise to us because this made up so much of Jesus's ministry here on earth. He tells us in Luke 4 why He came, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Is that not what Jesus does in this Gospel? He releases the Syrophoenician woman's daughter from her captivity to the demon. And what did it take on the woman's part? An expectant faith. Even when she is seemingly met with resistance from Jesus, she holds fast to the conviction that He is for her, that He would grant her her request. 

Do we meet Jesus with this same expectant faith? Everything that happens to us is either willed or allowed by God, but all of the suffering we experience is  allowed never willed. God loves you and He doesn't want you to suffer. But He needs you to approach Him. He needs you to repent of your sins because that's what keeps Him from healing you. We'll never be fully healed this side of heaven. There will always be more work to do, but I ask you to approach your Father with expectant faith because He loves you and wants the best for you.