Word to the Wise
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - Wednesday in the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
[Numbers 13:1-2, 25 - 14:1, 26a-29a, 34-35 and Matthew 15:21-28]"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."
Incidents like this one should make any Christian careful about making statements as to who is acceptable to God, or who will be saved! In fact, however, many Christians seem to think they know exactly who will be saved, and some even claim to know how many, as well!! The Canaanite woman would have been nominally a pagan! Yet she calls Jesus by a theological title: Lord, Son of David! She is driven by the illness of her daughter, but her faith is not a cynical use of religion. She truly believes that Jesus can help her. The disciples want to "send her away, for she keeps calling after us." Indeed, there is a terrible irony in disciples sending someone away! Jesus does test her faith but when he sees that it is true, he compliments the woman and grants her request. It seems to me that we can all learn a lesson from this. Faith will show up in unexpected, and sometimes "unacceptable," ways and persons. Shall we send away (indeed even ask Jesus to send away) a faithful person who only wants the same help that we ask for and receive? AMEN
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