Seeking Jesus with Real Faith!

Weekly Missionary Reflection
20th Sunday in ordinary time, 20 August 2023
Isa. 56:1,6-7; Ps. 67:2-3,5,6,8; Rom. 11:13-15,29-32; Matt. 15:21-28

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus commended a Canaanite woman for her great faith in Jesus. The story began when Jesus moved away to ​​Tire and Sidon, a Canaanite woman came to Him and begged Jesus to heal her daughter who was deeply suffering from being possessed by a demon. In the beginning, Jesus seemed to ignore her. Jesus emphasized that He was sent only to the lost children (sheep of Israel) of Israel. Jesus’ statement did not make the Canaan woman give up. Instead, she approached and worshiped Jesus while asking “Lord, help me” (Matt. 15:25). Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs” (Matt. 15:26).  What did Jesus mean by “throwing food to the dogs”? Jews often spoke arrogantly of the Gentiles as “unclean dogs” because Gentiles did not follow God’s law and were excluded from God’s covenant with the Israelites. There is another reference to “dog” in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not give what is holy to dogs” (Matt. 7:6). Jesus tested this woman’s faith if she was serious about receiving holy things from the hand of the Holy God.

Having heard Jesus’ statement, the Canaanite woman fully accepted her real condition. She agreed with Jesus’ judgment as she continued her defense: “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat from the scraps that fall from the table of their masters” (Matt. 15:27). The woman’s clever answer showed her great and formidable faith, contrasted to the lack of faith of Jesus’ disciples (cf. Matt. 6:30; 8:26). Her status as a Canaanite and female was a big obstacle to meeting Jesus who was Jewish and a male. As a Gentile, she was not bound by the covenant with God as part of His chosen people and was not accepted by the Jews. However, by greeting Jesus as “Son of David” (Matt. 15:24), she expressed her faith in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. As a female, she was not deserved to approach a Jewish man. However, this Canaanite woman had the courage to publicly speak to a Jewish man, namely Jesus. She was not fear of showing up among the Jews and was mostly male. 

With her status as a Canaanite and a female, she did not deserve to approach Jesus and ask Jesus to heal her daughter, who was possessed by a demon and was greatly suffering. However, the Canaanite woman took the initiative to approach Jesus and she went into the place that she didn’t belong to. Despite her status barrier, she didn’t give up. Her faith is great!  She proved her deep faith in Jesus’ miraculous power and mercy.   Jesus finally acknowledged the extraordinary faith of the woman: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done as you wish” (Matt. 15:28). Her faith was the main reason for Jesus to grant her request: “Her daughter was healed at that hour” (Matt. 15:28). The Canaanite woman was praised by Jesus not only for her believing in Jesus’ mercy to heal her child but for she dared to break through the barriers of her status as a Gentile and as a woman for the sake of her faith in Jesus and extraordinary love for her child.

What can we learn from this Canaanite woman? The Canaanite woman’s courage and persistence in overcoming all the obstacles proved her very strong and deep faith to let Jesus bless her with the grace and healing of her daughter. The Canaanite woman teaches us about the universality of God’s grace in Jesus, that God’s unconditional love is for everyone, no exception. Jesus proclaims justice and truth to all mankind, regardless of the religious, race, and socio-economic status of those who need Him. This story testifies that despite the woman came from a pagan nation, she still wanted to believe in Jesus as a Saviour. She humbled herself, worshiped Him, and begged His mercy. She believed in the power and infinite love of Jesus. We certainly don’t have a status barrier to approach Jesus, worship Him, and ask for His help as experienced by the Canaanite women. However, do we approach and worship the Lord Jesus with full faith of hope when faced with various difficulties, challenges, and trials? Let’s learn from the Canaanite woman who sought Jesus with real faith!

(RP. Silvester Nusa, CSsR – Dosen Universitas Katolik Weetebula, NTT)

DAILY DEDICATED PRAYER

Lord, our Father, I present my today prayer, thought, word, work, joy, and sorrow in unity with Your Son, Jesus Christ, who always presents Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit animating Jesus, also be my guidance and strength today so that I am ready to be the witness of Your love.

Together with St. Mary, Mother of Jesus, and the Church, in particular, I present my prayer for our Pope and apostle prayer of the Indonesian Church of this month:

For World Youth Day
We pray that World Youth Day in Lisbon will help young people to live and witness the Gospel in their own lives.

Independence IdealsWe pray that the government and the members, political elites and intellectuals will strive together for the ideals of independence and national integrity, with no disputes and arguments that perplex the people and break unity and harmony.

Amen.