RBWords

     Jesus speaks these words to the Canaanite woman who would not take "no" for an answer from his disciples.  When she gets Jesus' attention, the dialogue reveals something broader than her understandable concern for her daughter.  It is about the future of the new Christian movement.  Would it remain a sect of Judaism, appealing only to Jews ("children") or would it reach out to pagans ("dogs")?  The answer at the end of the scene is clear:  faith is where you find it and it cannot be confined to a single category.

     The faith of the Canaanite woman is a lesson for any of us who somehow believe that only baptized Christians (preferably Catholic ones) are the subjects of God's love and grace.  While it is true that the "New Evangelization" movement in Catholicism is aimed at recovering lapsed Catholics and renewing tepid ones, we cannot turn our backs to the faith of others who are trying to reach Jesus' mercy.  The example of the Canaanite woman is not the only one in the gospels where the disciples of Jesus try to prevent someone from receiving attention from Jesus.  Our faith is not meant to turn us toward Jesus in such a way that we turn away from our neighbor who wants to meet him.  AMEN