In our gospel reading for this Sunday, a Canaanite woman (a non-Jew) approached Jesus to ask for help. She referred to Jesus as the Son of David and acknowledged Jesus as a master and a healer. The Canaanite woman asked Jesus to have mercy on her and on her daughter who was sick and tormented by the demon. Even if she wasn’t being heard initially, her efforts paid off and Jesus was able to give her his attention and help.
When I was reading this gospel, I remember the words of Winston Churchill which says, “Never, Never, Never Give up.” This quotes perhaps captures and reminds us of the action of the Canaanite woman. Let me share my reflection on this gospel with the 3P’s insights:
The First P is PRAYER.
Fr. Matteo once said that “Prayer is not a ritual but a dialogue with the Lord.”
In our life, we need to pray by voicing out to God like the Canaanite woman who said, ”Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Unfortunately, Jesus seems not to reply to her request. Sometimes we feel that our prayer is not heard by God, but if we repeatedly ask him what we want he will reply to our prayer in unexpected ways. Our prayer must not be centered on what we want but on the will of God. And God’s will is always for the best for us. It is a matter of trust in God and in His time.
The Second P is PURPOSE
The Canaanite woman came to meet Jesus with a purpose which is asking for healing. Perhaps this Canaanite woman suffered a lot in taking care of her daughter and encountered a lot of adversaries in her life. To take care of a sick daughter was not easy, but the Canaanite woman, out of her love for her daughter did her best, facing all the obstacles, and crossing the boundaries with determination and strong faith. She never gave up until she gained what she prayed for or her purpose of coming to Jesus.
The Third P is PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance means continued steady belief. I think before the Canaanite woman came to meet Jesus; she had heard a lot about the miracle that Jesus performed on many sick people. She was convinced that Jesus could do the same miracle to her daughter. This faith in Jesus enables her to overcome all the obstacles not only from Jesus’ disciples but also from Jesus himself who challenged her faith. Her perseverance in faith brought a miracle; Jesus answered her prayer daughter was healed by Jesus.
In Conclusion, all of us have encountered problems, difficulties, and suffering in our life but do not let these problems weaken us. May these adversaries help us come closer to Jesus like the Canaanite woman who shows her faith in Jesus through her prayer, purpose, and perseverance and never gives up until she gains the blessing or healing for her daughter.