Gospel: 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.
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Reflection:
The great
faith of the Canaanite woman whose daughter was tormented by a devil is very
evident in the gospel. She was initially snubbed by Jesus but she persisted.
She heard the disciples told Jesus: “Send her away.” But she did not budge a
bit.
Since she
was not a Jew, Jesus told her: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
The more that she persisted; she knelled before Jesus beg Him ans said: “Lord
help me.”
After a
few more dialogues Jesus saw the Canaanite woman’s strong faith thus He said to
her: “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.
We too have
our own special petitions before Jesus and we too must have not received any
signs of reply from Jesus. It may seem that Jesus is turning a deaf ear to our
pleadings and prayers.
In spite
of these all we must continue to have faith and be always persistent in
following Him. God’s silence and rejections to our petitions and prayers are
test of faith for us. God wants to see until where are we willing to stretch
our patience.
He wants
to see if we are still willing to extend our patience and beg some more or even
walk an extra mile in our pursuit of Him. -
Marino J. Dasmarinas
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