Daily Catholic Lectio. Thu, 12 February ’26. Dogs that are fed

Daily Catholic Lectio

Thu, 12 February ‘26

Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday

1 Kgs 11:4-13. Mk 7:24-30

The Dogs that are Fed

The Gospel today gives us a striking image: the dogs that are fed. A Syro-phoenician woman comes to Jesus. She is a woman, a Gentile, a mother of a daughter tormented by an evil spirit. She has no privilege, no claim, no status. She has only one thing: a desperate faith.

Jesus responds in a way that surprises us: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” It sounds harsh. It sounds like rejection. For a moment, it seems that the door is closed.

But the woman does not walk away.

We may have many thoughts, many plans, many emotions. Yet who we are is revealed in our actions. This woman does not argue angrily. She does not take the words personally. She does not allow wounded pride to become an obstacle. Calmly, humbly, creatively, she answers: “Even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

When Jesus looks at the table, she looks under the table. When he speaks of children, she speaks of crumbs. She changes perspective. She finds hope where others would see only humiliation.

Like a hungry dog that refuses to leave, she clings to the only source of life. She believes that even a crumb from Jesus is enough. She does not demand the whole loaf. She asks for mercy.

And she receives it.

Often, our greatest obstacle is not the world, not circumstances, not other people. We ourselves stand in our way. Pride, impatience, hurt feelings, discouragement — these make us walk away just before grace reaches us.

The first reading offers a painful contrast. Solomon began well. He was wise. He was blessed. But slowly, his heart drifted away from the Lord. The foreign princesses who came seeking his wisdom also brought their gods. Solomon compromised. He divided his heart. And because his heart was divided, his kingdom was divided.

The Syro-phoenician woman refused to compromise her faith. Solomon did. She gained healing for her daughter. He lost unity for his kingdom.

The lesson is clear. When things are not under our control, we must remain steady. When God seems silent or distant, we must not walk away. When we feel like “dogs under the table,” we must still trust that even a crumb of grace is enough.

Faith that perseveres is faith that is fed.

May we not allow pride to starve us. May we not allow compromise to divide our hearts. Let us remain at the feet of the Lord, trusting that even the smallest gift from him can heal, restore, and save.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy