August 5, 2026
A reading from
the holy Gospel according to Matthew 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
August 5, 2026
Saint Who?
Saints Who Took Detours in Life
Saint Moses of Ethiopia
Religious († 405)Feast: August 28
No one would have guessed that Moses would become a saint. As a young man, he worked as a servant for an Egyptian official, but he stole from his master so often that he was dismissed. Moses was a tall, strong, hot-tempered man, and it was not difficult for him to find other criminals who wanted to join his band of thieves.
According to one tradition, he and his gang eventually got into so much trouble that Moses had to hide from the authorities. He sought out a monastic community in the desert of Skete and pretended to want to join it. After spending some time among these monks, their holy example moved him to conversion. Deeply repentant, he began to live a penitential life as a monk, although he struggled for a long time with his bad habits, which did not disappear overnight. In a famous story, when four robbers broke into the monastery, Moses overpowered them, tied them up, and presented them to his abbot, saying, “I am not allowed to hurt anybody, so what do you want me to do with these?”
Moses was seventy-five years old when the news came that raiders were heading toward his monastery. Most of the monks managed to escape, but Moses stayed behind and died forgiving his murderers.
Loving Father, give us the grace to be patient with ourselves as we seek to correct our faults.
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©Image : Christ on the Lake of Galilee, Jacopo Tintoretto (circle, 1518-1594), NGA, Washington D.C., USA. Photo Courtesy NGA Washington.
