Reflection for February 12 Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time: Mark 7:24-30

Gospel: Mark 7:24-30

Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 

 

He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

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Reflection:

Are we persistent when we pray before the Lord?

There was a Greek woman who came to Jesus, pleading with Him to drive out a demon from her daughter. What makes her story so powerful is that she was an outsider — not one of Jesus’ followers and not even a Jew. Yet, with courage and deep faith, she approached Jesus and asked for His help. Her heart and mind were fixed on reaching Him, believing that only He could heal her daughter.

When she finally stood before Jesus, she poured out her heart to Him about her daughter’s suffering. At first, Jesus seemed reluctant to help. But she did not turn away. Instead, she persisted. She humbled herself before Him, trusting in His mercy and love. Because of her faith and persistence, her daughter was healed.

In the same way, we all carry burdens deep in our hearts. We all have struggles, worries, fears, and silent prayers that we bring before Jesus. At times, when answers do not come right away, we may feel discouraged. We may feel unheard. But the Lord invites us to remain faithful and steadfast.

Let us not lose heart if we have not yet received the answer we are praying for. Instead, let us continue to persevere. Let us continue to humble ourselves before Him. Let us continue to seek His guidance and help with patient, trusting, and tireless hearts.

The woman never gave up until she received what she was asking from Jesus. In the same way, we, too, are called to remain steadfast in prayer. Oftentimes, we do not receive what we ask for because we grow tired, discouraged, or impatient. The same can happen in our dreams, our mission, and our calling — we sometimes fall short not because we are incapable, but because we stop trying.

But imagine if we do not give up. Imagine if we continue to persevere in faith. Imagine if we continue to humbly and faithfully entrust our prayers to the Good Lord, trusting that His timing and His will are always for our good.

Are we willing to keep trusting, keep praying, and keep surrendering our hearts to the Lord — even when the answer does not come right away? — Marino J. Dasmarinas