The Sunday Gospel [August 14, 2011]
Matthew 15:21-28
21 Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 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." 23 But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us." 24 He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." 28 Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Reflection
“Lord, help me. Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” ~ Canaanite woman in v. 25, 27
When is prayer powerful? Is it effective when it comes with offerings of eggs, as we normally do when we ask the Poor Clare nuns to pray for our intentions? Is prayer guaranteed with positive answer when it is accomplished by sacrifice, like self-punishment or personal torture? Will prayer be granted if we promise something to God in return for his favor? There are many occasions we look at prayer as a business deal or negotiation, as if God’s goodness can be bought.
The gospel describes to us the secret of powerful prayer – one that guarantees favorable results. A woman, who was a Gentile, living outside the Jewish circles of Jesus’ time, approached the Lord to ask him for the healing of his daughter. Jesus, at first, seemed to put her off. But in the end, she got her miracle. Her daughter was healed. How did she emerge victorious in her difficult dialogue with Jesus?
Well, the woman knew how to love. She was not begging for herself, her comfort, or her welfare. She came to seek healing and deliverance of someone she loved. The Lord is not drawn to selfish prayers. Selfish prayers will not be heard. But if our prayers are for the good of others, made out of love, then the Lord listens and takes action. The response of the Lord may not be the same response we expect, but he will surely do something, do the best thing for our petition.
The woman loved deeply and that was why she knew how to persevere. When at first she did not seem to get proper attention from the Lord, she did not get discouraged. She cheerfully continued to ask, to bargain, to press on with her request. She had such genuine love for her daughter that she was willing to draw all her energy so that she can obtain her heart’s desire. She made her daughter’s misery her own. She was willing to suffer like her, for her. Jesus, whose heart overflows with the same compassion for others, found in the woman’s love a resemblance to his own heart.
Credits: Fr. Ramil R. Marcos, MA, STL; I am with you always, excerpts
Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarro-abel.blogspot.com/).
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