Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 15:21-28
Does God ignore or act a bit rough with you? Jesus crosses the border into the pagan region of Tyre and Sidon, the territory long outside the covenant. There, a Canaanite woman calls out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David.” At first, he is silent. Then he rebuffs her. “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” But the Church Fathers saw this not as an insult but as an initiation. Christ draws out of her heart a deeper faith.
She presses on. “Please, Lord, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Jesus’ silence and response solidify her humility and trust. She thus becomes a model for prayer for centuries of Christians. St. Augustine said she shows how sinners come to grace by moving from silence to humility to perseverance.
This woman is the Church. She is you and me. She is every soul who dares to cry out from the margins, who endures divine silence until it turns to compassion. When Jesus says, “O woman, great is your faith,” it is the joyful cry of God discovering faith where the world least expects it. Even the smallest crumb of Your mercy, Lord, is enough to heal the soul. Do we have the courage to show faith like that?
Father John Muir, LPI Bulletin Guest Writer
Strengthening Faith Q & A
Question:
Our prayer group is discussing ways we can change and strengthen our faith. What one thing could we change that would have the greatest impact on our faith?
Answer:
A famous coach once said that when the team is in trouble and things aren’t going well, go back to the basics; when the team is winning and things are going well, go back to the basics! Any renewal program, faith development, or spiritual growth effort has to start with the basic core of what it means to believe. If the foundation is not strong, the house will not stand.
So if you work on one thing, begin with the idea that God is love, who loves us and calls us to love one another. If we really take that belief to heart, it changes how we see God, ourselves, and one another. It would change how we pray, how we treat others, and how we understand and live our own life. Our sense of mission and purpose will be more focused on God’s plan and our role in it. Love is the core of faith, the goal of life, and the hope of heaven. Whatever we do to strengthen and deepen our faith will begin and end with love.