“Fear is Useless, What is Needed is Faith”

“Fear is useless, what is needed is faith”(Mark 5:26)

The priest said these words today before the sign of peace.  They seemed to so perfectly summarize the gospel from today.  The gospel is one of my favorites:

Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him. Son of David! she cried out. Have mercy on me, sir! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition. But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him,
Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise! Then Jesus replied, I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. At this the woman came and fell at his feet. Help me, sir! she said. Jesus answered, It isn’t right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs. That’s true, sir, she answered, but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters’ table. So Jesus answered her, You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you. And at that very moment her daughter was healed. (Matthew 15:21-28)

This beautiful testament of the importance of Faith made me think of the first Glorious Mystery of the Rosary: The Resurrection.  The fruit of this mystery is Faith.  It is the greatest fruit one can receive from the Rosary.  I had read that the second most important fruit is grace of a happy death which is associated with the fourth Glorious Mystery: the Assumption of Mary.  It seemed perfect timing to be reflecting on the Holy Rosary as today is the Feast of St. Dominic.  Our Lady is said to have appeared to Dominic around 1206 and revealed to him the devotion of the Holy Rosary.  Our Blessed Mother told him: "Preach the Rosary, which is a shield against the shafts of the enemy, the rampart of the Church of God, and the Book of Life. Exhort everyone to be devout to the Rosary, and thou shalt produce wonderful fruit in souls."