St Scholastica | Thursday 10 February 2022

Today is Thursday the 10th of February, the feast of St Scholastica, in the fifth week of Ordinary time.
The Convivium Singers and the choir of Portsmouth Cathedral sing a setting of Psalm 42.

Today's reading is from the Gospel of Mark.
Mark 7:24-30
From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, 'Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.' 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.

Jesus has come north to Tyre, away from Jewish territory, it appears he must lie low for a while after doing and saying some quite threatening things.
Recall times in your life when you felt the need to retreat, simply get away. How did this temporary separation help you?

We heard in yesterday's reading of what was considered clean and unclean, today's passage amplifies this. Jesus is in unclean gentile territory speaking to a gentile woman, desperately concerned for her daughter. An odd discussion takes place about crumbs and dogs. How does this make you feel?
Where do you see people in the world being treated badly, simply because they are different?

Listen as the passage is read again.
How does being a 'child of God' free you from voices that would seek to put you down today? Talk to God about this now...


Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.