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RC DAILY MEDITATIONS
RC DAILY MEDITATIONS

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DAILY MEDITATIONS

Week August 9 - 16, 2026

Sunday, August 9, 2026 – Turbulent Waters

Monday, August 10, 2026 – Christ Who Lives in Me

Tuesday, August 11, 2026 – Worshiping in Freedom as a Child

Wednesday, August 12, 2026 – The Bond of Peace

Thursday, August 13, 2026 – Forgiven and Forgiving

Friday, August 14, 2026 – Praying for Marriages

Saturday, August 15, 2026 – Unholy Haste?

Sunday, August 16, 2026 – No Ordinary Mission

August 9, 2026 – Turbulent Waters

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Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 14:22-33

After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

Opening Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Everything distracts me, and I can feel tossed about by the waves of this world and all its needs and concerns. Please still my heart in this moment so that I can hear you speak to me in this Gospel.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Jesus Calms the Water: Why do you suppose that Jesus walked on the sea? He did not have to go to his disciples at all; he could have spoken a word of peace from the shore, and the sea would have obeyed. Or he could have simply appeared in the boat. Jesus chose to walk on the water to demonstrate his power over the turbulent sea: “Through the sea was your way; your path, through the mighty waters, though your footsteps were unseen” (Ps 77:20). I can ask myself what parts of my life are turbulent and characterized by conflict and disorder. Where do I feel powerless and “tossed about by the waves”? I can call out to Jesus and ask him to come to me in his power and calm the violent waters that sometimes rage in my life.

     

  2. Focused on Christ: Peter’s faith was bold, but perhaps not fully developed. It was his idea to walk on the sea! He even succeeded while he focused on moving toward Jesus. However, when he looked away from Christ and at the situation around him instead, he became afraid. If we keep our eyes on Christ during the turbulent times in our lives, we will have no fear. For Jesus is love, and “there is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…” (1 Jn 4:18).

     

  3. “Lord, Save Me!”: If we fall under the turbulent waters in our confusion or despair, we should call out to Christ to be our Savior as Peter did: “Lord, save me!” Psalm 69 reads: “Save me, God, for the waters have reached my neck” (Ps 69:2). Instead, we can trust that Jesus is there with us in the midst of our trials and sufferings. Jesus is peace! When we are going through turbulent waters, we can ask Jesus to be with us and keep our hearts and minds calm amid the distress around us: “Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, how often I have been tossed about by the winds of life. How often the waves of fear and uncertainty have sent me crashing down. Please give me the grace to keep my eyes focused on you in these times. Help me to remember that you are the true source of my peace.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray about which storm in my life needs Jesus’ calming and powerful presence.

Carey Boyzuck is a wife, mother, freelance writer, and a lay member of Regnum Christi. She blogs at word-life-light.com.

August 10, 2026 – Christ Who Lives in Me

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Feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

John 12:24-26

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.” 

Opening Prayer: O my Jesus, dying to myself is not an easy thing to consider. But I trust in you to take care of me in all circumstances. Help me to be open to dying to myself so that you might live in me.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Fruitful Paradox: Jesus offers us a great truth here: A grain of wheat is only a tiny seed unless it falls to the ground, is buried in the soil, and sprouts forth new life. In this way, the one little grain becomes fruitful and is multiplied. By dying to itself, it becomes greater than itself. What a mysterious paradox: In order to have life, we must die. He gives us a second, related paradox as well, in that we must lose our lives in order to save them. The message here is that we are called to be detached from everything worldly—even our very lives—and be completely attached to Christ: “I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:19-20).

     

  2. Detachment from the World: Detachment is a necessary component of discipleship. Jesus’ first disciples were called to radical detachment from the moment they met him. In Matthew 4, Jesus called the two sets of brothers on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and they immediately left their nets, boats, and family behind in order to do so (cf. Mt 4:18-22). When we examine our conscience, we can look to see what we need to detach from in order to become closer to Jesus. Could we offer a small but meaningful sacrifice? Or maybe we can identify a specific pattern of sin that holds us back from truly loving Jesus and others.

     

  3. Attachment to Christ: As Christian disciples, we are called to serve him and our neighbors with love. In order to represent him here on earth, to be “ambassadors for Christ” (cf. 2 Cor 5:20), we are called to be fully attached to him. When we “remain in him,” like branches remain on a vine (cf. Jn 15:4), we will have everything we need to bring him to our family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. He will also bring us complete contentment and joy: “If they listen and serve him, they spend their days in prosperity, their years in happiness” (Job 36:11).

Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, what would you like me to cast aside in order to draw nearer to you? What shall I surrender to you so that I can be your disciple and follow you more closely? Please show me how I can love and serve you and others with a pure heart.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will look for opportunities to die to myself so that I might more closely resemble you.

For Further Reflection: Read Mt 4:18-22 and reflect on how the first disciples left their livelihoods, families, and even their very identities as fishermen behind in order to follow Christ and be part of something much bigger than themselves.

Carey Boyzuck is a wife, mother, freelance writer, and a lay member of Regnum Christi. She blogs at word-life-light.com.

August 11, 2026 – Worshiping in Freedom as a Child

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Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, open my eyes and heart to see your love and live according to it.

Encountering Christ:

  1. As a Child before Jesus: We place ourselves amidst the crowd as one of the children before Jesus. There is a certain appeal to his demeanor, his smile, his laugh. We are eager to be near him. He tousles our hair and teases us. We experience the joy of being carefree in his presence where there are no judgments, no expectations, and no harsh demands. He desires that we rejoice in his presence. Suddenly, we experience that others are annoyed at our presence. Jesus comes to our defense, and we discover in him our protector. We are safe under his gaze that seeks our company. We are not rejected, nor shunned, nor abandoned.

     

  2. As an Adult before Jesus: We place ourselves before Jesus once again, this time as an adult with all of our past and present. We ask the Holy Spirit for light to see ourselves as he sees us, with all the times over the years that we have surrendered to worldly standards and justified living according to those standards. We now see that worldly objects of devotion and affection can stifle the reverence and humility we should feel towards God and the things of God. What paths have we taken that divert us from Jesus, the one, essential desire of our wandering heart? We ask for the grace to return to the simplicity of a child.

     

  3. Worship in Freedom: The angels of Heaven live in the truth before God. Their entire being—understanding, will, desire—is truly present. They know themselves as they are: creations of God to whom they owe their existence. The truth sets them free to live a simplicity of spirit in which they express the highest form of liberty in a gesture of reverence and adoration before the throne of the Father. At this moment, we join them in this act of true worship. We ask to know ourselves as God the Father knows us, as his child whom he wills to bestow eternal life and love in the bosom of the Trinity. He does not wish for even one of his children to be lost.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me as I am, for making it possible to be a child of God in and through you. Transform my heart according to your own so I may freely and properly praise you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will strive to recognize when the child in me is stifled by the immature adult. I will resist those temptations and remember that your saving grace is always present.

Jennifer Ristine is a consecrated woman of Regnum Christi dedicated to spiritual and faith formation through teaching, conferences, writing, and spiritual direction. While serving in Ancient Magdala she wrote Mary Magdalene: Insights from Ancient Magdala and “Nine Days with Mary Magdalene.”

August 12, 2026 - The Bond of Peace

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Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church. If he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Opening Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, unify us in your love. Help me be open to gently admonishing others in their sins and likewise being admonished myself, when necessary. Help me to put on your love and be unified to my family in Christ.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Managing Conflict: Disputes will arise wherever people work side-by-side, and our parishes are no different. Our Church is made up of humans, and every one of us is sinful in our own way. Today’s Gospel reading explains how to manage conflicts caused by sin that arise within our churches. Handling situations like these in a Christian manner is essential to the well-being of a parish. Notice how the dispute in this Gospel passage begins with the most discreet confrontation (between two people) and increases to the most public (testimony to the Church). We should strive to resolve disputes quietly, if possible. We can also ask ourselves how we would feel if a friend approached us about a fault or sin of ours. Would we be humble enough to listen and be won over to repentance by our brother or sister?

     

  2. Christian Unity: Unity is one of the Church’s greatest assets. When we gather together as Christ’s disciples, the Holy Spirit is among us: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Not only is the Spirit among us, but if we agree on what to pray about, God the Father will grant our prayers, according to his will. Just two disciples in unified prayer is all it takes! May we have consolation that when we gather as a parish community to pray and worship—even in the smallest of our small groups—God is with us, unifying us with his love.

     

  3. Love Equals Peace: The Holy Spirit is indeed the Spirit of unity. We cannot achieve harmony on our own; we need the grace of the Holy Spirit to unify us through love. St. Paul instructed Christians to live “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:2-3). St. Paul does not say that this will be easy; he is a realist. We all have things in us that others must endure, but the Holy Spirit of love that unites us makes peace possible.

Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, help me to put on your love when I deal with my brother and sister disciples. Help me to remember that no one is perfect, including and most especially myself. Please give me the grace to pray for the Christian bonds of peace, unity, and harmony whenever conflicts arise.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray specifically for unity in my parish.

Carey Boyzuck is a wife, mother, freelance writer, and a lay member of Regnum Christi. She blogs at word-life-light.com.

August 13, 2026 – Forgiven and Forgiving

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Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 18:21-19:1

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, your words speak of forgiveness. Open my heart during these moments of prayer so that I may see more clearly where I need to forgive and be forgiven.

Encountering Christ:

  1. God Bless Peter: Throughout the Scriptures, Saint Peter always seemed to ask the questions on everyone’s mind. “How often must I forgive…?” Peter knew, as we all do, that forgiveness can be difficult, very difficult. In those days, the law prescribed threefold forgiveness, so Peter was being magnanimous by suggesting forgiveness “seven times.” In truth, as the old adage goes, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Jesus knows that we are unable to forgive on our own strength. We can forgive only through the Holy Spirit’s power within us, and the act of forgiving must be repeated by our will as often as the anger, resentfulness, etc., surfaces in our emotions. Come, Holy Spirit.

     

  2. The Character of the Master: When we’ve been hurt, forgiveness is often the last thing on our mind. Prayerfully reflecting on the character of our Master is the surest way to tap into the Spirit so that our hearts can soften as a prelude to forgiveness. Like the Master in the parable, God the Father does not exact what we owe him in justice; rather, he deals with us mercifully. To the degree that we grasp what he has done for us, (by sending his Son to die for our sins), we will be able to more easily forgive others.

     

  3. We Are the Debtors: Whether we’ve sinned grievously or have tried to live by the commandments, the chasm between God and us cannot be crossed by our human effort. Only by Our Lord’s Death and Resurrection do we have access to the Father. Every time we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Our Lord bridges the chasm so that we can approach the Father worthily. Like the debtor in the Lord’s parable, we say, “Be patient with me Lord…” but we know we cannot pay our debts in full. That’s why we are eternally grateful to Jesus.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, please deepen my understanding of the sacrifice you made on the Cross for me, and its consequences in my life. Help me to grow in profound gratitude. With this disposition, I will be empowered to forgive others as you so often forgive me.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will check my heart to see if there remains any unforgiveness and ask you for the grace to remedy that situation and repair the relationship.

For Further Reflection: Say your favorite Act of Contrition with the intention of growing in gratitude for Christ’s forgiveness. Here is the most traditional version: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee; and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.

August 14, 2026 – Praying for Marriages

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Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 19:3-12

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.” They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, your teachings in this Gospel require my open-heartedness. Help me to listen prayerfully and absorb the lessons you have for me and those I love.

Encountering Christ:

  1. One Flesh: Like men and women today, the Pharisees and the disciples of Jesus seemed to struggle with the difficulty that a commitment to marriage requires. Jesus reminded them that a married couple becomes “one flesh,” and then repeated it for emphasis: “So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” We would do well to reflect deeply on the beauty of marriage as a sacrament: “The Lord, wishing to bestow special gifts of grace and divine love on married love, has restored, perfected, and elevated it. A love like that, bringing together the human and the divine, leads the partners to a free and mutual self-giving, experienced in tenderness and action, and permeating their entire lives; this love is actually developed and increased by its generous exercise” (Gaudium et Spes, 49).

     

  2. Hard-Heartedness: Our Church teaches that marriage is a sacred vocation, yet divorce, cohabitation, and same-sex unions have subverted traditional marriage, becoming socially condoned options in our modern culture. Are we closed-minded and therefore shut off from the graces that sacramental marriage can convey to a couple striving to live as “one flesh”? “Marrying” outside the sacrament, or ignoring or rejecting the role of the third person in every marriage—God—can lead to painful breakups with lasting consequences. By bringing Jesus into a marriage, the burden can become light and the pathway sure. “Where one alone may be overcome, two together can resist. A three-ply cord is not easily broken” (Eccl 4:12).

     

  3. Martyrs for Marriage: Saint Maximilian Kolbe offered to take the place of a family man who had been condemned to starvation during World War II. He suffered with nine other men for more than two weeks at the Auschwitz concentration camp and, as the last survivor, was put to death by lethal injection. Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1982, naming Saint Maximilian Kolbe the patron of families. Let us pray for marriage and families because, as Saint John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

Conversing with Christ: Lord, marriage can be a difficult vocation, but by relying on the grace of the sacrament, it can also be so beautiful! Thank you for so many examples of long-lasting happy marriages, and bless those in the married state so that they may be witnesses to the next generation of the inestimable value of marriage. Help me in my state in life to protect and promote the sanctity of marriage.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make a small sacrifice for marriages I know that are struggling.

Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.

August 15, 2026 – Unholy Haste?

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Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Luke 1:39-56

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Opening Prayer: Lord, the Church gives us on this Marian feast day a prayer that constitutes the longest string of words from the Blessed Mother’s lips that are recorded in the Gospels. Send your Holy Spirit to help me digest these words and gain some insight into the heart of your Mother and mine.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Holy Haste: With the blessed news of Angel Gabriel still ringing in her ears, Mary set out “in haste” to assist Elizabeth, whom she learned was also pregnant. Since we know that Mary was the most perfect creature ever created, her “haste” was obviously ordained by God’s will. Hers was a “holy haste.” How often do we rush around, full of busyness, feeling overwhelmed by life’s to-do’s? This unholy haste of ours can distract us from God’s will for our life. God has given us twenty-four hours in which to live each day. Are we trying to pack too much activity into each one, requiring us to race through life at an unholy pace, or do we imitate Mary’s docility to God’s will in every moment, especially when he asks us to “slow down”?

     

  2. Words to Be Remembered: The Magnificat, Mary’s prayer, is a spiritual masterpiece and, by her example, Mary teaches her children (us) how to pray. Like our Mother, we can proclaim that “our spirit rejoices,” because we are full of expectant hope for eternity. We can acknowledge that God has “looked with favor” on us, because we have been baptized and belong to God’s family. Every day, we can thank God for the great things he has done for us. And we can announce to everyone God’s mercy, which we know is so necessary for our salvation.

     

  3. Assumed: We celebrate the Assumption of Mary today, which was proclaimed a dogma of the Church on November 1, 1950, by Pope Pius XII. Reading the words of the Magnificat in light of Mary’s Assumption, body and soul, into heaven brings new insights. She would undoubtedly have been surprised to know, as she praised God through the Magnificat, to what extent he would bless her by raising her directly to heaven one day. And she could not have known that she would become the Mother of us all. From her heavenly throne, Mary intercedes for us. May we be delighted upon our death by the blessings Our Lord has in store for his faithful servants.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for revealing to us that Mary, our Mother, is with you in heaven. Her Assumption fills my heart with hope that one day I too will join you there. By your grace and Mary’s intercession, may we merit such an eternal reward!

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will devoutly say a decade of the Rosary in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother.

Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.

August 16, 2026 – No Ordinary Mission

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Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 10:1-12

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

Opening Prayer: Lord, here I am. Show me your face; show me your love for me. I know that without you I am nothing, and yet you want to give me everything. I want to love you—teach me how. Lord, increase my faith to see the world the way you see it.

Encountering Christ:

  1. That’s Not the Jesus I Know: What on earth was Jesus up to in this Gospel? Right before coming to Tyre and Sidon, in Matthew 14:36, the people of Gennesaret had only to touch his cloak and they were healed. Right after he returned to Galilee, the Gospel tells us that he was healing all who came to him. We are so used to hearing how Jesus was always willing to heal, cure, and liberate that the Jesus in this Gospel is almost unrecognizable. First, he ignored the woman, saying he was sent only to Israel, then he outright rejected her and even seemed to insult her. Yet, perhaps the Jesus in this Gospel is not so far from our own experience—after all, are all of our prayers answered as soon as we ask, in the way we ask? Doesn’t it rather feel sometimes like God answers our prayers for help not with the solution we want, but with more trials? God knows much better than we do what we need—perhaps this woman needed a little humility, maybe she had a prejudice against Jews that was impeding her faith, or maybe Jesus just wanted to bring her to even greater heights of faith by his actions. Do I see God’s hand in everything? Do I persevere in prayer even when it seems like nothing is happening?

     

  2. Great Is Your Faith: As bewildering as Jesus’ response to this woman was at first, by the end of their interaction he elicited from her a profession of faith so powerful that it seemed to change Jesus’ mind: “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters…” “… O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” May we imitate her strong faith, no matter what our circumstances are, trusting that Jesus always knows best.

     

  3. Standing Alone?: Nowadays, faith and trust in God are not particularly fashionable. Many see confidence in God as weak, naive—a refusal to deal with life’s problems. In reality, faith, which is a gift from God, can strengthen believers to withstand any hardship, even martyrdom, as so many saints have shown us. Perhaps this Canaanite woman’s story of faith was preserved in the Gospel to remind us of this.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for being with me in this short time of prayer. Increase my faith. I know you are listening, that you love me, and that you want the best for me.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will thank you for the little trials you send my way.

For Further Reflection: Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known psalms for good reason: It is one of the greatest prayers of trust ever written:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

   He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside still waters;

   he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths

   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

   I fear no evil;

for you are with me;

   your rod and your staff—

   they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

   in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

   my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

   all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

   my whole life long.

Riley Connors was born in Dayton, Ohio. He studied classical humanities and philosophy with the Legionaries of Christ. He enjoys running, thinking, praying, and, on occasion, all three.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!