Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 409
Lectionary: 409
The LORD said to
Moses [in the desert of Paran,]
“Send men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan,
which I am giving the children of Israel.
You shall send one man from each ancestral tribe,
all of them princes.”
After reconnoitering the land for forty days they returned,
met Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the children of Israel
in the desert of Paran at Kadesh,
made a report to them all,
and showed the fruit of the country
to the whole congregation.
They told Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us.
It does indeed flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit.
However, the people who are living in the land are fierce,
and the towns are fortified and very strong.
Besides, we saw descendants of the Anakim there.
Amalekites live in the region of the Negeb;
Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites dwell in the highlands,
and Canaanites along the seacoast and the banks of the Jordan.”
Caleb, however, to quiet the people toward Moses, said,
“We ought to go up and seize the land, for we can certainly do so.”
But the men who had gone up with him said,
“We cannot attack these people; they are too strong for us.”
So they spread discouraging reports among the children of Israel
about the land they had scouted, saying,
“The land that we explored is a country that consumes its inhabitants.
And all the people we saw there are huge, veritable giants
(the Anakim were a race of giants);
we felt like mere grasshoppers, and so we must have seemed to them.”
At this, the whole community broke out with loud cries,
and even in the night the people wailed.
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
“How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me?
I have heard the grumblings of the children of Israel against me.
Tell them: By my life, says the LORD,
I will do to you just what I have heard you say.
Here in the desert shall your dead bodies fall.
Forty days you spent in scouting the land;
forty years shall you suffer for your crimes:
one year for each day.
Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me.
I, the LORD, have sworn to do this
to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me:
here in the desert they shall die to the last man.”
“Send men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan,
which I am giving the children of Israel.
You shall send one man from each ancestral tribe,
all of them princes.”
After reconnoitering the land for forty days they returned,
met Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the children of Israel
in the desert of Paran at Kadesh,
made a report to them all,
and showed the fruit of the country
to the whole congregation.
They told Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us.
It does indeed flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit.
However, the people who are living in the land are fierce,
and the towns are fortified and very strong.
Besides, we saw descendants of the Anakim there.
Amalekites live in the region of the Negeb;
Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites dwell in the highlands,
and Canaanites along the seacoast and the banks of the Jordan.”
Caleb, however, to quiet the people toward Moses, said,
“We ought to go up and seize the land, for we can certainly do so.”
But the men who had gone up with him said,
“We cannot attack these people; they are too strong for us.”
So they spread discouraging reports among the children of Israel
about the land they had scouted, saying,
“The land that we explored is a country that consumes its inhabitants.
And all the people we saw there are huge, veritable giants
(the Anakim were a race of giants);
we felt like mere grasshoppers, and so we must have seemed to them.”
At this, the whole community broke out with loud cries,
and even in the night the people wailed.
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
“How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me?
I have heard the grumblings of the children of Israel against me.
Tell them: By my life, says the LORD,
I will do to you just what I have heard you say.
Here in the desert shall your dead bodies fall.
Forty days you spent in scouting the land;
forty years shall you suffer for your crimes:
one year for each day.
Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me.
I, the LORD, have sworn to do this
to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me:
here in the desert they shall die to the last man.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 106:6-7AB, 13-14, 21-22, 23
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
We have sinned, we and our fathers;
we have committed crimes; we have done wrong.
Our fathers in Egypt
considered not your wonders.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
But soon they forgot his works;
they waited not for his counsel.
They gave way to craving in the desert
and tempted God in the wilderness.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
We have sinned, we and our fathers;
we have committed crimes; we have done wrong.
Our fathers in Egypt
considered not your wonders.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
But soon they forgot his works;
they waited not for his counsel.
They gave way to craving in the desert
and tempted God in the wilderness.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
GospelMT 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.
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.
Meditation: "Great
is your faith!"
Do you
ever feel "put-off" or ignored by the Lord? This passage describes
the only occasion in which Jesus ministered outside of Jewish territory. (Tyre
and Sidon were fifty miles north of Israel and still exist today in modern
Lebanon.) A Gentile woman, a foreigner who was not a member of the Jewish
people, puts Jesus on the spot by pleading for his help. She addressed Jesus as
Lord and Son of David. She recognized that Jesus was God's annoined one who
would bring healing and salvation, not only to the people of Israel, but to the
Gentiles as well. She asks Jesus to show mercy and compassion to her tormented
daughter. At first Jesus seemed to pay no attention to her, and this made his
disciples feel embarrassed. Jesus does this to test the woman to awaken faith
in her.
When she
persisted in asking Jesus to heal her daughter, Jesus answered by saying one
shouldn't take food prepared for their children and throw it to the dogs. What
did Jesus mean by this expression? The Jews often spoke of the Gentiles as
"unclean dogs" since they worshipped idols, offered sacrifices to
demons, and rejected the true God. For the Greeks the "dog" was a
symbol of dishonor and was used to describe a shameless and audacious woman.
Matthew 7:6 records the expression: do not give dogs what is holy. Jesus
was sent from the Father in heaven to first feed the children of Israel with
the true bread of life that would bring healing, reconciliation, and lasting
union with God. This humble Canaanite woman was not put-off by Jesus' refusal
to give her what she asked for. In desparation and hope for her tormented
child, she pleads with Jesus to give some of the "crumbs that fall from
the table" to the "little dogs".
John
Chrysostom (349-407 AD), in his sermon on this passage, remarks how this woman
approached Jesus with great humility, wisdom, and faith:
"See her humility as well as her faith! For he had called the
Jews 'children,' but she was not satisfied with this. She even called them
'masters,' so far was she from grieving at the praises of others. She said,
'Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's
table.' Behold the woman's wisdom! She did not venture so much as to say a word
against anyone else. She was not stung to see others praised, nor was she
indignant to be reproached. Behold her constancy. When he answered, 'It is not
fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs,' she said, 'Yes,
Lord.' He called them 'children,' but she called them 'masters.' He used the
name of a dog, but she described the action of a dog. Do you see the woman's
humility? ...Do you see how this woman, too, contributed not a little to the
healing of her daughter? For note that Christ did not say, 'Let your little
daughter be made whole,' but 'Great is your faith, be it done for you as you
desire.' These words were not uttered at random, nor were they flattering
words, but great was the power of her faith, and for our learning. He left the
certain test and demonstration, however, to the issue of events. Her daughter
accordingly was immediately healed." [The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 52.3]
Jesus praised this woman for her faith and for
her love because she made the misery of her child her own. She was willing to
suffer rejection in order to obtain healing for her loved one. She also had
indomitable persistence. Her faith grew in contact with the person of Jesus.
She began with a request and she ended on her knees in worshipful prayer to the
living God. No one who ever sought Jesus with faith – whether Jew or Gentile –
was refused his help. Do you seek Jesus with expectant faith?
"Lord
Jesus, your love and mercy knows no bounds. May I trust you always and pursue
you with indomitable persistence as this woman did. Increase my faith in your
saving power and deliver me for all evil and harm. "
 Daring Doggedness |
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Wednesday of the
Eighteenth Week in Ordinary
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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.
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe you want me to have faith in you, faith
that hearkens to your words without any second guessing. I hope in your
words, not relying solely on my own strength or reasoning. I love you. You
continue to astonish me by showing me that your ways are not my ways.
Petition: Lord, fill my heart with gratitude and trust even when those I
love suffer.
1. My daughter… “My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
Sufferings of strangers stir our compassion. But when a son or daughter
suffers, anguish can reach fever pitch. Imagine the agony of the mother in
this Gospel passage. Imagine the near-physical pain she felt in the depths of
her heart. However, her love nourished her hope and propelled her to seek out
Christ. When those we love suffer, we need the same wisdom to seek the Lord.
2. Unfathomed Dimensions: Only a mother or father knows the depths of
his or her love for a child: “Words cannot express.…” We truly understand
love when it involves people we know and love. Contemplate the passion of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Imagine the false accusations, scourging, humiliations and
the crucifixion. Now imagine your own son or daughter, or mom or dad or loved
one, suffering the same fate. Christ’s passion takes on a new dimension.
3. Our Title to God’s Grace: "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat
the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Faith and
humility move Christ’s heart. How easily we adopt a spoiled-child mentality,
believing that we deserve more. “The earth doesn’t owe you a living,” a sage
once said. “It was here before you.” How much happier we are when we
acknowledge our littleness and unworthiness, when we recognize our status as
creatures of God who gives us life, breath and every beat of our heart. All
we possess is a gift of his creative love. How happy we are when we are
grateful and let him know this a thousand times a day.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I will praise and thank you a thousand
times and in a thousand ways for all you do for me. Even sufferings, I know,
come from your hand for my greater good, although I may not always perceive
the good at that moment. Give me the gratitude, faith and trust to accept my
cross and rejoice in your creative love for me.
Resolution: I will thank the Lord repeatedly throughout
the day.
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7
MATTHEW 15:21-28
MATTHEW 15:21-28
(Numbers 13:1-2, 25 ̶14:1, 26-29a, 34-35; Psalm 106)
KEY VERSE: "O Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish" (v 28).
READING: Jesus' mission was primarily to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (v 24), but he was open to hearing the truth from people outside of the Jewish faith. Following a clash with the religious leaders who refused to believe in him (v 1-20), Jesus met a Canaanite woman whose faith was in sharp contrast with that of his own people. The woman addressed Jesus as "Lord" and begged him to heal her tormented daughter. Jesus told her that it was not right to take food meant for the "children" (the people of Israel) and feed it to the "dogs" (a contemptuous term for Gentiles). The woman persisted, saying that she was willing to take the crumbs that fell from the master's table. Jesus was impressed by this woman's great faith, and he healed her daughter that very moment.
REFLECTING: Do I attempt to understand people of other faith traditions?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to persist in prayer for my loved ones as the Canaanite woman did.
Optional Memorial of Sixtus II, pope and martyr, and
companions
Sixtus II was pope from August 30, 257 to August 6, 258, following Stephen I as bishop of Rome in 257. Sixtus was more conciliatory than his predecessor, who had broken off relations with Cyprian over the question of whether lapsed Christians should be re-baptized before being allowed back into the Church. Sixtus was willing to let bishops decide what to do in their own areas of control and accepted the existence of both practices. Sixtus restored the relations with the African and Eastern churches, which had been broken off by his predecessor on the question of heretical baptism. In the persecutions under Emperor Valerian I in 258, numerous priests and bishops were put to death. Pope Sixtus II was one of the first victims of this persecution. He was captured by soldiers while giving a sermon and perhaps beheaded right there, along with four deacons. He was buried in the same catacomb where he had been celebrating Mass when he was arrested. He died in 258 as a martyr.
Optional Memorial of Cajetan, priest
Cajetan was born in 1480 at Vicenza, Italy, and was a Venetian nobleman, Gaetano dei Conti di Tiene. He studied law in Padua, and was offered governing posts, but turned them down for a religious vocation.In 1522, Cajetan founded a hospital in Venice for victims of incurable illness. Cajetan was aware of the need of reformation in the Church, and felt called to enter a religious community to serve the sick and poor. On 3 May 1524, with three others, including John Peter Caraffa, who later became Pope Paul IV, Cajetan formed the Congregation of Clerks Regular at Rome (Theatines), with the mission of fostering the Church's mission and reviving the spirit and zeal of the clergy. Cajetan founded a bank to help the poor and offered an alternative to usurers (loan sharks); it later became the Bank of Naples. Cajetan was knownfor a game he played with parishioners where he would bet prayers, rosaries or devotional candles on whether he would perform some service for them; which he always did, and they always had to "pay" by saying the prayers. Cajetan died in 1547 at Naples, Italy. He was canonized 1671 by Pope Clement X
Lord, remember us, for the love you bear your people
We can find it hard not to grumble against God when we feel more lost than found. Today’s readings remind us that life contains many wrong turns and disappointments. Yet wisdom is there to be found in the middle of the wilderness.
In the gospel the Canaanite woman challenges Jesus and his response is reluctant at first. Is he testing her faith deliberately? Or does the ministry of Jesus become more inclusive because of her willingness to tackle the hard questions? How do I react to the silence of God when I long for direction? Do I boldly persist in my faith when the answer seems to be no? Does my own love and compassion extend to people who are different from me?
August 7
St. Cajetan
(1480-1557)
St. Cajetan
(1480-1557)
Like most of us, Cajetan seemed headed for an “ordinary”
life—first as a lawyer, then as a priest engaged in the work of the Roman
Curia.
His life
took a characteristic turn when he joined the Oratory of Divine Love in Rome, a
group devoted to piety and charity, shortly after his ordination at 36. When he
was 42 he founded a hospital for incurables at Venice. At Vicenza,
he joined a “disreputable” religious community that consisted only of men
of the lowest stations of life—and was roundly censured by his friends, who
thought his action was a reflection on his family. He sought out the sick and
poor of the town and served them.
The
greatest need of the time was the reformation of a Church that was “sick in
head and members.” Cajetan and three friends decided that the best road to
reformation lay in reviving the spirit and zeal of the clergy. (One of them
later became Paul IV.) Together they founded a congregation known as the
Theatines (from Teate [Chieti] where their first superior-bishop had his
see). They managed to escape to Venice after their house in Rome was wrecked
when Emperor Charles V’s troops sacked Rome in 1527. The Theatines were
outstanding among the Catholic reform movements that took shape before the
Protestant Reformation. He founded a monte de pieta (“mountain
[or fund] of piety”) in Naples—one of many charitable, nonprofit credit
organizations that lent money on the security of pawned objects. The purpose
was to help the poor and protect them against usurers. Cajetan’s little
organization ultimately became the Bank of Naples, with great changes in
policy.
Stories:
When Cajetan was sent to
establish a house of his congregation in Naples, a count tried to prevail upon
him to accept an estate in lands. He refused. The count pointed out that he
would need the money, for the people of Naples were not as generous as the
people of Venice. “That may be true,” replied Cajetan, “but God is the same in
both cities.”
Comment:
If Vatican II had been summarily stopped after its first session in 1962, many Catholics would have felt that a great blow had been dealt to the growth of the Church. Cajetan had the same feeling about the Council of Trent (1545-63). But, as he said, God is the same in Naples as in Venice, with or without Trent or Vatican II. We open ourselves to God’s power in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, and God’s will is done. God’s standards of success differ from ours.
If Vatican II had been summarily stopped after its first session in 1962, many Catholics would have felt that a great blow had been dealt to the growth of the Church. Cajetan had the same feeling about the Council of Trent (1545-63). But, as he said, God is the same in Naples as in Venice, with or without Trent or Vatican II. We open ourselves to God’s power in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, and God’s will is done. God’s standards of success differ from ours.
LECTIO: MATTHEW
15,21-28
Lectio:
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of everlasting goodness,
our origin and guide,
be close to us
and hear the prayers of all who praise you.
Forgive our sins and restore us to life.
Keep us safe in your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 15,21-28
Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And suddenly out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, 'Lord, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.' But he said not a word in answer to her.
And his disciples went and pleaded with him, saying, 'Give her what she wants, because she keeps shouting after us.' He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.'
But the woman had come up and was bowing low before him. 'Lord,' she said, 'help me.'
He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to little dogs.'
She retorted, 'Ah yes, Lord; but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table.'
Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great faith. Let your desire be granted.' And from that moment her daughter was well again.
3) Reflection
• Context. The bread of the children and the great faith of a Canaanite woman is the theme presented in the liturgical passage taken from chapter 15 of Matthew who proposes to the reader of his Gospel a further deepening of faith in Christ. The episode is preceded by an initiative of the Pharisees and Scribes who go down to Jerusalem and cause a dispute to take place with Jesus, but which did not last long, because he, together with his disciples withdrew to go to the region of Tyre and Sidon. While he is on the way, a woman from the pagan places comes to him. This woman is presented by Matthew by the name of a “Canaanite woman” who in the light of the Old Testament, she is presented with great harshness. In the Book of Deuteronomy the inhabitants of Canaan were considered people full of sins, evil and idolatrous people.
• The dynamic of the account. While Jesus carries out his activity in Galilee and is on the way toward Tyre and Sidon, a woman came up to him and began to bother him with a petition for help for her sick daughter. The woman addresses Jesus using the title “Son of David”; a title which sounds strange pronounced by a pagan and that could be justified because of the extreme situation in which the woman lives. It could be thought that this woman already believes in some way, in the person of Jesus as final Saviour, but this is excluded because it is only in v. 28 that her act of faith is recognized, precisely by Jesus. In the dialogue with the woman Jesus seems to show that distance and diffidence which reigned between the people of Israel and the pagans. On one side Jesus confirms to the woman the priority for Israel to have access to salvation, and before the insistent prayer of her interlocutor Jesus seems to withdraw, to be at a distance; an incomprehensible attitude for the reader, but in the intention of Jesus it expresses an act of pedagogical value. To the first invocation “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David” (v. 22) Jesus does not respond. To the second intervention this time on the part of the disciples who invite him to listen to the prayer of the woman, he only expresses rejection that stresses that secular distance between the chosen people and the pagan people (vv. 23b-24) But at the insistence of the prayer of the woman who bows before Jesus, a harsh and mysterious response follows: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to little dogs” (v. 26). The woman goes beyond the harsh response of the words of Jesus and gets a small sign of hope: the woman recognizes that the plan of God being carried out by Jesus initially concerns the chosen people and Jesus asks the woman to recognize that priority; the woman takes advantage of that priority to present a strong reason to obtain the miracle: “Ah yes, Lord, but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters’ table” (v. 27). The woman has exceeded the test of faith: “Woman, you have great faith” (v. 28); in fact, to the humble insistence of her faith corresponds a gesture of salvation.
This episode addresses an invitation to every reader of the Gospel to have that interior attitude of “openness” toward everyone, believers or not, that is to say, availability and acceptance without distinction toward all men.
• Context. The bread of the children and the great faith of a Canaanite woman is the theme presented in the liturgical passage taken from chapter 15 of Matthew who proposes to the reader of his Gospel a further deepening of faith in Christ. The episode is preceded by an initiative of the Pharisees and Scribes who go down to Jerusalem and cause a dispute to take place with Jesus, but which did not last long, because he, together with his disciples withdrew to go to the region of Tyre and Sidon. While he is on the way, a woman from the pagan places comes to him. This woman is presented by Matthew by the name of a “Canaanite woman” who in the light of the Old Testament, she is presented with great harshness. In the Book of Deuteronomy the inhabitants of Canaan were considered people full of sins, evil and idolatrous people.
• The dynamic of the account. While Jesus carries out his activity in Galilee and is on the way toward Tyre and Sidon, a woman came up to him and began to bother him with a petition for help for her sick daughter. The woman addresses Jesus using the title “Son of David”; a title which sounds strange pronounced by a pagan and that could be justified because of the extreme situation in which the woman lives. It could be thought that this woman already believes in some way, in the person of Jesus as final Saviour, but this is excluded because it is only in v. 28 that her act of faith is recognized, precisely by Jesus. In the dialogue with the woman Jesus seems to show that distance and diffidence which reigned between the people of Israel and the pagans. On one side Jesus confirms to the woman the priority for Israel to have access to salvation, and before the insistent prayer of her interlocutor Jesus seems to withdraw, to be at a distance; an incomprehensible attitude for the reader, but in the intention of Jesus it expresses an act of pedagogical value. To the first invocation “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David” (v. 22) Jesus does not respond. To the second intervention this time on the part of the disciples who invite him to listen to the prayer of the woman, he only expresses rejection that stresses that secular distance between the chosen people and the pagan people (vv. 23b-24) But at the insistence of the prayer of the woman who bows before Jesus, a harsh and mysterious response follows: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to little dogs” (v. 26). The woman goes beyond the harsh response of the words of Jesus and gets a small sign of hope: the woman recognizes that the plan of God being carried out by Jesus initially concerns the chosen people and Jesus asks the woman to recognize that priority; the woman takes advantage of that priority to present a strong reason to obtain the miracle: “Ah yes, Lord, but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters’ table” (v. 27). The woman has exceeded the test of faith: “Woman, you have great faith” (v. 28); in fact, to the humble insistence of her faith corresponds a gesture of salvation.
This episode addresses an invitation to every reader of the Gospel to have that interior attitude of “openness” toward everyone, believers or not, that is to say, availability and acceptance without distinction toward all men.
4) Personal questions
• The disturbing word of God invites you to break open your closeness and all your small plans. Are you capable to accept all the brothers and sisters who come to you?
• Are you aware of your poverty to be capable like the Canaanite woman to entrust yourself to the word of salvation of Jesus.
• The disturbing word of God invites you to break open your closeness and all your small plans. Are you capable to accept all the brothers and sisters who come to you?
• Are you aware of your poverty to be capable like the Canaanite woman to entrust yourself to the word of salvation of Jesus.
5) Concluding Prayer
Lord, do not thrust me away from your presence,
do not take away from me your spirit of holiness.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
sustain in me a generous spirit. (Ps 51,11-12)
Lord, do not thrust me away from your presence,
do not take away from me your spirit of holiness.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
sustain in me a generous spirit. (Ps 51,11-12)
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