"Please Lord . . . O woman, great is your faith."
The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081714.cfm
Is 56: 1, 6-7
Rm 11: 13-15, 29-32
Mt 15: 21-28
A
very endearing drawing of the famed comic character Charlie Brown depicts
Charlie receiving a hug from his beloved dog Snoopy. Charlie then appears happier than ever and
Snoopy has closed his eyes in admiration.
Below
the image is a caption: “Be of good cheer, Charlie! For after all is said and
done, there is someone who loves you – and this ‘someone’ is only a very
humble, peanut sized representative for One much greater than he.”
Today’s
Gospel story about the foreign gentile woman who pleads with Jesus for the
healing of her daughter, and in particular Jesus’ initial response to her, is
likely among the most controversial depictions of our Lord in the Gospels. Revealing the prejudice of the time towards
those who were not Jewish, Jesus first ignores her desperate plea: “Have pity
on me, Lord, Son of David . . .” We may be disturbed by his initial reaction
which on one level seems dismissive.
But
then the clincher from the very mouth which spoke: “Blessed are the meek . . .
the merciful . . . the single hearted.” Jesus turns and states to the desperate
woman: “it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the
dogs.” Dogs? Did Jesus really refer to this Canaanite woman as a dog? This is
no sweet Snoopy who shows affection for his master but seemingly an insult – or
is it?
Still,
she continues her plea to which Jesus finally replies: “O woman, great is your
faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” While we are grateful for this sign of
compassion from Jesus we may still wonder about his initial treatment of
her.
It
is clear the disciples are disturbed by her very plea: “Send her away, for she
keeps calling out after us.” In other words, “She’s not one of us so how dare
she request what is rightly ours.” If Jesus seemed dismissive by his silence
the disciples appear blatantly upset and Jesus himself seems to reflect this
belief, or so it may seem. But, did he
simply reveal the very prejudice of his time which the disciples clearly held? As
always more is at work here.
In
our first reading from Isaiah we hear a beautiful image of God’s intention to
widen the circle of inclusion: “The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
ministering to him, loving the name of the Lord, and becoming his servants . .
. them I will bring to my holy mountain . . . a house of prayer for all
peoples.” For all peoples is especially important to understand. God doesn’t just throw words around without
purpose. Isaiah’s revelation of God’s
desire means what is says: “all” and not “some” are welcome in God’s house.
As
the ministry of Jesus expanded in its scope some scripture scholars, and
rightly so, imply that Jesus himself grew in understanding of the full extent
of his mission. While that is likely true, Jesus’ own disciples may have been
both shocked and inspired all the more. Their own understanding of Jesus’
mission in which they would share would challenge their own limited preconceptions
as the “chosen people” deserving of special privileges.
The
woman’s persistence pays off and Jesus sees right through with compassion as a
higher motivator for his healing than the false walls of prejudgment. Isaiah’s
vision of God’s all inclusive “house of prayer” is expressed so beautifully in
the healing granted to this woman’s child.
Her faith convicted her, fearless and desperate, to plead to the only
One she knew could grant her request, spoken in love and respect. Faith knows
no boundaries.
This
was not the first time Jesus reached out to the wider circle: the Samaritan
woman at the well, the Roman centurion, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the
lepers and the blind who did not follow the proper laws, the woman caught in
adultery, etc.
The
early Christians needed to learn this basic new vision of what God is like as
did the Apostles as the church expanded throughout the gentile world. As more
and more non-Jews embraced this new way the limitations we place on others is
challenged.
For
our present day lives as Catholic Christians we are perhaps more accustomed and
have come to fully accept the universal inclusion of the Christian faith. While all are members of the Church formally
yet I think our Gospel story this Sunday and others like it deserves our
personal reflection. Our own feelings towards human differences or towards
those who may be wandering in search of a renewed Catholic faith need to be
examined. While we cannot usually control our thoughts, we can control our
words and actions. This example shows that Jesus both spoke and acted in a way
that rocked the boat once again beyond the artificial boundaries of his
culture.
Conversion
to this vision of God which we are challenged to make our own is a daily
process. But it may be good to remind
ourselves that we can do a ton of good for others who pay attention to who we
are and those who watch silently on the fringes. We can include or exclude we
can judge or forgive or we can look the other way with the silent treatment or
inspire one another with our words and actions. “Others” don’t have to be
beyond our parishes or our faith. They
may be right next to us in the pews or beside us in places of work or family
life. For us pastors it may be our own parishioners in some cases.
Without
words, the affectionate Snoopy said more to the appreciative Charlie Brown
simply by a gesture which expressed his feeling on Charlie’s dignity. God’s way must be our own.
O God, who have prepared for those who love you
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