Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Nm 13:1-2, 25–14:1, 26a-29a, 34-35

The LORD said to Moses [in the desert of Paran,]
"Send men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan,
which I am giving the children of Israel.
You shall send one man from each ancestral tribe,
all of them princes."

After reconnoitering the land for forty days they returned,
met Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the children of Israel
in the desert of Paran at Kadesh,
made a report to them all,
and showed the fruit of the country
to the whole congregation.
They told Moses: "We went into the land to which you sent us.
It does indeed flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit.
However, the people who are living in the land are fierce,
and the towns are fortified and very strong.
Besides, we saw descendants of the Anakim there.
Amalekites live in the region of the Negeb;
Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites dwell in the highlands,
and Canaanites along the seacoast and the banks of the Jordan."

Caleb, however, to quiet the people toward Moses, said,
"We ought to go up and seize the land, for we can certainly do so."
But the men who had gone up with him said,
"We cannot attack these people; they are too strong for us."
So they spread discouraging reports among the children of Israel
about the land they had scouted, saying,
"The land that we explored is a country that consumes its inhabitants.
And all the people we saw there are huge, veritable giants
(the Anakim were a race of giants);
we felt like mere grasshoppers, and so we must have seemed to them."

At this, the whole community broke out with loud cries,
and even in the night the people wailed.

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
"How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me?
I have heard the grumblings of the children of Israel against me.
Tell them: By my life, says the LORD,
I will do to you just what I have heard you say.
Here in the desert shall your dead bodies fall.
Forty days you spent in scouting the land;
forty years shall you suffer for your crimes:
one year for each day.
Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me.
I, the LORD, have sworn to do this
to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me:
here in the desert they shall die to the last man."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:6-7ab, 13-14, 21-22, 23

R.(4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
We have sinned, we and our fathers;
we have committed crimes; we have done wrong.
Our fathers in Egypt
considered not your wonders.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
But soon they forgot his works;
they waited not for his counsel.
They gave way to craving in the desert
and tempted God in the wilderness.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Alleluia Lk 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 15: 21-28

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 he did not say a word in answer to her.
His 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 him 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 her daughter was healed from that hour.

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Sixtus II, please go here.

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Cajetan, please go here.

From: Numbers 13:1-2, 25-14:1, 26a-29a, 34-35

Reconnoitering the promised land

[1] The Lord said to Moses [in the desert of Paran,] [2] “Send men to spy out
the land of Canaan, which I give to the people of Israel; from each tribe of their
fathers shall you send a man, everyone a leader among them.”

The spies return

[25] At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. [26] And
they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Is-
rael in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and
to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. [27] And they told
him, “We came to the land to which you sent us; it flows with milk and honey,
and this is the fruit. [28] Yet the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the
cities are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak
there; [29] The Amalekites dwell in the land of Negeb; the Hittites, the Jebusites,
and the Amorites dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea,
and along the Jordan.”

[30] But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once,
and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it.” [31] Then the men who had
gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people; for they are
stronger than we.” [32] So they brought to the people of Israel an evil report of
the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have
gone, to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people that
we saw in it are men of great stature. [33] And there we saw the Nephilim (the
sons of Anak, who came from the Nephilim); and we seemed to ourselves like
grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

The rebellion of Israel

[1] Then all the congregation raised a loud cry; and the people wept that night.

God’s new reply

[26] And the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, [27] “How long shall this wicked
congregation murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the people of
Israel, which they murmur against me. [28] Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the
Lord, ‘what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: [29] your dead bodies
shall fall in this wilderness; [34] According to the number of the days in which
you spied out the land, forty days, for every day a year, you shall bear your in-
iquity, forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ [35] I, the Lord, have
spoken; surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation that are gathered to-
gether against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there
they shall die.”

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Commentary:

13:1-14:45. The general background of the people’s rebelliousness, and God’s
forgiveness (chapters 13 and 14) helps to explain why the Israelites did not enter
the promised land immediately from Kadesh, but had to make a detour and enter
via Transjordan. The cause for this detour was, basically, their faltering obedi-
ence to the Lord, their disdain for the promised land and their nostalgia for Egypt.
In the account given here we find memories that go back to the earliest times,
such as, for example, the leadership shown by Caleb (from the tribe of Judah),
a reconnoitering of the Land which does not extend beyond the zone of Hebron,
and a failed attempt to enter it via the Negeb (cf. 14:39-45).

13:27-29. The spies’ report confirms all God promised about the Land (cf. Ex 3:
9). In stressing the strength of the peoples who live there, God’s own strength is
being highlighted, as also his love for his people, because he will be the one who
uproots the present occupiers (cf. Deut 7;1); and, besides, it gives the back-
ground to the protests the text goes on to describe.

The descendants of Anak (v. 28) are the giants who, according to the Israelite tra-
dition, occupy the southern part of Canaan; an explanation of their origin is given
in Genesis 6:1-4.

The Amalekites were a semi-nomadic people who moved to the south of the Ne-
geb; the Israelites fought with them more than once (cf. Ex 17:8-6). The Hittites
had ruled a huge empire in the 14th century BC, and the Amorites occupied the
Tigris and Euphrates valleys. The Jebusites were earlier occupiers of Jerusalem.
The description given of where each of these people lived in the Land is a very
sketchy one.

13:30-33. There are two opposed attitudes here – that of Caleb, who is influenced
by faith, and that of the other scouts who, when they came up against obstacles
fail to count on God and in fact question the value of the gift God has promised,
the gift of the Land. This last point is what provokes their open rebellion against
God and Moses.

It is often easy to see the obstacles to any human or supernatural project. The
way to deal with these difficulties is not to close one’s eyes but to fight bravely
and faithfully to overcome them. The Israelites were filled with fear at the pros-
pect of having to conquer the Land (because their enemies were so powerful);
so frightened were they that some came to reject and disparage the Land itself.
Something similar happens to a Christian when fearfulness makes him go into
reverse in his efforts to attain perfection. “I know that the moment we talk about
fighting we recall our weakness and we foresee falls and mistakes. God takes
this into account. As we walk along, it is inevitable that we will raise dust; we
are creatures and full of defects. I would almost say that we will always need
defects. They are the shadow which shows up the light of God’s grace and our
resolve to respond to God’s kindness. And this chiaroscuro will make us human,
humble, understanding and generous” (St. Josemaria Escriva, “Christ is Passing
By”, 76).

14:1-25. The rebellion reaches its climax; the people want to replace Moses with
someone else, return to Egypt and stone those who encourage trust in God. We
see Aaron backing up Moses, and Joshua sharing Caleb’s enthusiasm (vv. 5-6).
However, it will be the glory and might of God that sorts things out: he threatens
punishment and (the most terrible thing of all) to disinherit the people: he is ready
to create a new people, starting with Moses (vv. 11-12). But once more Moses
pleads on the people’s behalf; this time he uses the strongest argument he can
find – the very reputation of Yahweh among the nations, and his gracious and
merciful nature (according to his own description: (cf. Ex 34:6-7). And God in
fact does forgive his people yet another time; he does not destroy them; but he
has to act in a just way, distinguishing between those who put their trust in him
(like Caleb) and those who rebelled against him as many as “ten times” (v. 22),
that is, totally and deliberately.

14:26-38. Once again the text mentions God’s reaction to the people’s com-
plaints and low spirits, and we are told about the punishment, which takes into
account the census held previously: except for Caleb and Joshua, no one over
twenty will escape the wrath of God. The forty years’ pilgrimage in the desert is
going to start now, and it corresponds to the forty days it took them to spy out
the Land: so it is a severe punishment and it is at the same time proportionate
to the crime. The first to receive this punishment were those who, although they
had the good fortune to actually see the Land, undermined the morale of the
others and instigated their protest – that is, those who, although they in some
way experienced the gift of God, failed to appreciate it out of cowardice and even
discredited it to the others.

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 15:21-28

The Canaanite Woman

[21] And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and
Sidon. [22] And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and
cried, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely pos-
sessed by a demon.” [23] But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples
came and begged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying after us.” [24]
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” [25] But
she came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” [26] And He answered,
“It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” [27] She said,
“Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
[28] Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you
as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

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Commentary:

21-22. Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast, in
present-day Lebanon. They were never part of Galilee but they were near its
north-eastern border. In Jesus’ time they were outside the territory of Herod Anti-
pas. Jesus withdrew to this area to escape persecution from Herod and from the
Jewish authorities and to concentrate on training His Apostles.

Most of the inhabitants of the district of Tyre and Sidon were pagans. St. Mat-
thew calls this woman a “Canaanite”; according to Genesis (10:15), this district
was one of the first to be settled by the Canaanites; St. Mark describes the wo-
man as a “Syrophoenician” (Mark 7:26). Both Gospels point out that she is a
pagan, which means that her faith in our Lord is more remarkable; the same
applies in the case of the centurion (Matthew 8:5-13).

The Canaanite woman’s prayer is quite perfect: she recognizes Jesus as the
Messiah (the Son of David)—which contrasts with the unbelief of the Jews; she
expresses her need in clear, simple words; she persists, undismayed by obsta-
cles; and she expresses her request in all humility: “Have mercy on me.” Our
prayer should have the same qualities of faith, trust, perseverance and humility.

24. What Jesus says here does not take from the universal reference of His tea-
ching (cf. Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16). Our Lord came to bring His Gos-
pel to the whole world, but He Himself addressed only the Jews; later on He will
charge His Apostles to preach the Gospel to pagans. St. Paul, in his missionary
journeys, also adopted the policy of preaching in the first instance to the Jews
(Acts 13:46).

25-28. This dialogue between Jesus and the woman is especially beautiful. By
appearing to be harsh He so strengthens the woman’s faith that she deserves
exceptional praise: “Great is your faith!” Our own conversation with Christ should
be like that: “Persevere in prayer. Persevere, even when your efforts seem barren.
Prayer is always fruitful” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 101).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
Numbers 13:1-2,25-14:1,26-29,34-35 ©

The spies return from Canaan

The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Paran and said, ‘Send out men, one from each tribe, to make a reconnaissance of this land of Canaan which I am giving to the sons of Israel. Send the leader of each tribe.’

At the end of forty days, they came back from their reconnaissance of the land. They sought out Moses, Aaron and the whole community of Israel, in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They made their report to them, and to the whole community, and showed them the produce of the country.

They told them this story, ‘We went into the land to which you sent us. It does indeed flow with milk and honey; this is its produce. At the same time, its inhabitants are a powerful people; the towns are fortified and very big; yes, and we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekite holds the Negeb area, the Hittite, Amorite and Jebusite the highlands, and the Canaanite the sea coast and the banks of the Jordan.’

Caleb harangued the people gathered about Moses: ‘We must march in,’ he said ‘and conquer this land: we are well able to do it.’ But the men who had gone up with him answered, ‘We are not able to march against this people; they are stronger than we are.’ And they began to disparage the country they had reconnoitred to the sons of Israel, ‘The country we went to reconnoitre is a country that devours its inhabitants. Every man we saw there was of enormous size. Yes, and we saw giants there (the sons of Anak, descendants of the Giants). We felt like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.’

At this, the whole community raised their voices and cried aloud, and the people wailed all that night.

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said:

‘I have heard the complaints which the sons of Israel make against me. Say to them, “As I live – it is the Lord who speaks – I will deal with you according to the very words you have used in my hearing. In this wilderness your dead bodies will fall, all you men of the census, all you who were numbered from the age of twenty years and over, you who have complained against me. For forty days you reconnoitred the land. Each day shall count for a year: for forty years you shall bear the burden of your sins, and you shall learn what it means to reject me.” I, the Lord, have spoken: this is how I will deal with this perverse community that has conspired against me. Here in this wilderness, to the last man, they shall die.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 105(106):6-7,13-14,21-23 ©