Advent: Week 1: Wednesday: Matthew: 15: 29- 37

Advent: Week 1: Wednesday

First Reading: Isaiah 25: 6-10

Gospel: Matthew: 15: 29- 37: Jesus’ compassion for people’s physical needs and the spiritual needs.

Jesus did two things in today’s Gospel:

1.     He was demonstrating his Messiahship in order to drive the truth more and more deeply into the disciples’ hearts.

2.     He was teaching his disciples that they were to minister the needy no matter who they were. In this event he was ministering primarily to Gentiles. The Jews considered the Gentiles to be heathen and outcasts by God. Christ had come to save all and now the disciples had to learn this truth so that they would go out and minister to all.

In this miracle, Jesus showed the disciples step by step how they were to minister to the lost, to the outcast and to the needy of the society.

1.     Jesus left Tyre and by way of Sidon. He was in Gentile country for about six months.

2.     Jesus was making always available to the needy.

3.     Jesus was having compassion for their very need because they were hungering after righteousness and for the Word of God for three days.

4.     Jesus was being willing to use what one has to meet their need.

5.     Jesus was ministering to their needs.

6.     The fifth step in learning to minister is the witnessing the Lord’s power and provision (seven loaves and a few small fish were multiplied for the four thousand beside women and chilern). When the needy are brought to Jesus Christ, he meets their needs and his provision satisfies them which is abundant (Jn 10: 10).

In the first reading the Lord invites us to his banquet and wipe away the tears from every cheek.

Thought: Being willing to give is not enough. A person has to give. Regardless of what we say, there is no willingness unless we actually give.

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys (Luke 12: 33).