May Jesus Christ be
praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.
Her faith is
great. The Canaanite woman in the Gospel
possesses great faith. She is an
outsider. She is not part of the people
of Israel. She is not, at least in the
minds of the disciples at that moment, a recipient of the promise of God. Yet she shows the disciples what it means to
have faith. She shows us what it means
to have faith.
The Canaanite woman
approaches the Lord with humility and reverence. She calls upon Jesus as the Lord and the Son
of David. She does him homage. She recognizes that healing and salvation are
present and active in Him. With humility
and reverence, she demonstrates her faith in the Lord Jesus.
The Canaanite woman
reveals her request to the Lord. She
does not hide her need. She announces
that her daughter is tormented by a demon.
She fearlessly proclaims, “Lord, help me.” There is no reservation in her words. There is no pride that prevents her from
making her petition known to the Lord.
Even though she is not a Daughter of Israel, she approaches the Lord Jesus
with the confidence of a child. With the
confidence of a child, she reveals her request, and demonstrates her faith.
The Canaanite woman is
persistent. She will not allow the
cultural differences to keep her from the Lord.
She will not allow the silence of the Lord Jesus to prevent her from
speaking. In her persistence, she
demonstrates her faith in the Lord Jesus.
As we approach the Lord
Jesus, and through him, approach the Father of all mercies, may the example of
the Canaanite woman inspire us to approach with humility and reverence. With the confidence of a child let us make
known our needs and petitions to the one who is worthy to receive our
prayers. And with the persistence of a
loving mother interceding for her child, let us offer our prayers to the Lord
with the confidence of faith. Amen.
Preached
at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
