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:
How is
strong is your faith in Jesus? Can it endure severe testing from Jesus?
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.
Then
being a Canaanite woman, Jesus told her: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of
Israel.” The more that she persisted; she knelt before and said: “Lord help
me.”
After a
few more dialogues Jesus saw how strong was her faith when He said: “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 for Jesus and we too must have been snubbed or
ignored a number of times. It may even seem that Jesus is turning a deaf ear to
our begging.
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 is a 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 walk an extra mile in our pursuit of
Him.
How
strong is your faith in Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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