…lives matter

Listening to the Spirit

Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us read the Scriptures with the same mind that You read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, You helped them discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and resurrection.

Create silence in us so that we may listen to Your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. We ask this of You, Jesus, who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit.

Amen

Listening to the Word

Mathew 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 Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus’ 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 Jesus 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 the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

Reflection

A superficial reading of today’s gospel, as for all scriptures, can easily lead someone to judge and not to learn from the gest and words of Jesus. Surely, the gospel is very demanding for all. It is not the first time Jesus enters in situations that can make one grasp the meaning in different ways. Let’s bear in mind that all life of Jesus is source and inspiration for all disciples to learn and not occasion for one to make a fast judgment.

This encounter of Jesus with the Canaanite woman is a clear teaching to the disciples of all times, the universal mission of Jesus and His followers. He is outside of the land of Israel. The Holy Land. As we can see, He makes also in this place a sign that free someone from evil, in other words, makes it also a Holy people.

In the dialogue between Jesus and the woman, there are many realities that bring the first group of disciples and of how to evaluate again and again our own relationship with the Master and His way of doing things.

On many occasions this gospel is called the gospel of the conversion of Jesus. For sure it's more than that. It is for the conversion of the disciples. As we can see, the persistence of the woman crying aloud is disturbing, not only for Jesus but more for the disciples. Jesus is silent. The disciples, on their own, took a further step to send her away.

Then came the words of Jesus answering to the pleadings of the woman which is not easy at the first moments. In the words of Jesus, one can realize that the priority is Israel as the elected people. In reality, when he first refuses the woman it is not, of course, because he does not care about the other people outside of Israel. On the contrary: because he cares for them, he must concentrate on Israel, for if God’s new world does not shine forth in Israel it will not be manifested to the world of the nation either.

Only the woman herself helps us to understand it. More than given us comprehension, the dialogue brings her and us to enter the frame of Jesus by faith. For sure the image and language used toward those outside the people of Israel were not positive. The amazing thing is that the woman did not deny or condemn the harsh words of Jesus, but uses it to remind Him and the disciples of all times, that God is greater and goes beyond boundaries of a country.

If we remember last Sunday Jesus said to Peter, a full member of the people of God (Israel): “you of little faith” and now to this outsider woman His approach is different: “O woman, great is your faith!” In this woman, the disciples of all times can see themselves. We all come from outside of the people of Israel, the elected people of God. By faith like her, we all are free from evil.

The universal mission of Jesus and his followers is well displayed in today’s gospel. All lives everywhere matter at the side of God. In Jesus God goes beyond his people. Every life free from evil matters for Him.