Pray humbly and persistantly

 

Deacon Kevin Gingras

August 20th, 2023

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082023.cfm

Is 56:1, 6-7    Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

Rom 11:13-15, 29-32   Mt 15:21-28

God is love.  Jesus is love.  When we hear today’s Gospel it doesn’t sound like that’s true, Jesus is using harsh language talking to the Canaanite woman.   As a parent, I love my kids but when they are constantly asking me for things, I can get a little irritated.

We were in bible study many years ago, talking about sin and someone said “Well, when we sin and we are in good company because even Jesus sinned.”  Let me pause to add a VERY important Side note here: Jesus NEVER sinned.  My friend was referring to the time Jesus flipped the money changers table.  That was righteous anger and certainly not a sin.  Let me reiterate, Jesus NEVER sinned.  We have to dig deeper into these questionable parts of scripture.

Let’s do that with today’s Gospel.   A demon is tormenting this poor Canaanite woman’s daughter and Jesus appears to brush her off, even seemingly insulting her so let’s analyze this more.  Let’s take some of the important lines and dig right in.

#1 Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon

Tyre and Sidon are important as these are Gentile cities in the southern part of Phoenicia bordering the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.  Jewish people didn’t live there.  Keep that in mind: Jewish people didn’t live there!

#2 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.”

A Canaanite woman would be a Gentile, someone who is not Jewish and whose daughter is in a terrible situation.  She seems to know that Jesus can do something to help and even calls him “Lord, Son of David.”  The title she uses is an earthly title of power so she’s not fully there yet with who Jesus really is.  Neither are Jesus’ disciples for that matter!  She persists with her pleas and the disciples seem to get aggravated that this Gentile woman is bugging them asking Jesus to send her away.

#3 Jesus said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

All throughout the Old Testament it’s about the Israelites, God’s chosen nation.  Now God has sent His only begotten Son to the lost sheep of Israel - the Jewish people - they are the lost sheep;  NOT the Gentiles!  Yet the woman persists.  “Lord help me!”  Jump back to #1 and remember, Jesus is in a Gentile city.  He knew what he was doing.

#4 Jesus said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

There it is, the line we hardly expect from Jesus!  Remember, Jesus is in a Gentile area.  Who did He expect to encounter here, Jews?  No - Gentiles!  

Jesus didn’t come here to reprimand this woman and tell her He didn’t come to help her because she isn’t Jewish.  No, it’s the exact opposite!  Jesus was teaching His disciples that the ministry is going to open up to far more than the lost sheep of Israel!  The ministry will be for everyone eventually.  He intentionally came to a Gentile area, He knew He would encounter Gentiles!  We see that in our second reading today when Paul tells the Romans how he wants to make his race, the Jewish people jealous:

I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous and thus save some of them.

Much like the Woman at the Well, this was an expected encounter of Jesus with the Canaanite woman.  

#5  Then Jesus said to her in reply, "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.

The teaching moment for his disciples is over and Jesus does as the woman requests, he heals her daughter.

Ok, so the disciples were supposed to learn Jesus came down from Heaven for everyone on Earth.  As St. Paul said today:

For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.

Now what can we learn from this?  Let us focus on the Canaanite woman.  The definition of a gentile is “not Jewish.”  That’s us, so what can she teach us?

She can teach us faith:

"Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters."

Her faith is so strong that she knows that she doesn’t need the whole Jesus but just a scrap will be enough to help her.

She can teach us to be humble and persistent when we pray: 

But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me."

She got on her knees in the dust and dirt and gave Jesus the respect and honor he is worthy of.  When we pray are we humble or do we think Jesus owes us what we are asking?  We need to remain humble and realize it’s Jesus who’s in charge, not us.  That’s where the persistence comes in.  Our prayers may take a bit to be answered, don’t give up!  Keep at it - even if it takes years!

As St. Padre Pio tells us:

“You must always humble yourself lovingly before God and before men because God speaks only to those who are truly humble and He enriches them with His gifts.“