OT XX [A] Is 56:1, 6-7; Rom 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt 15:21-28

This weekend's readings remind us of one of the key teachings and attitudes of Our Lord. Our Lord shows us God's nature as inclusive, welcoming, compassionate, forgiving, and flexible to be able to respond to others and their needs. Whenever we come across restrictive, "not listening", unwelcoming and exclusive situations, it is very likely that the value is not resonating with Our Lord's teachings.   In obedience and imitating the Lord, the church always strives to be a welcoming, compassionate, open and inclusive community.

Today’s Reading from the Gospel of Matthew, the account of Jesus and the Canaanite woman, is one of the rare encounters of Jesus with Gentiles.  When Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon, he was approached by a woman who abounded in love for her daughter, who was tormented by a demon.  Most likely, she would have heard of the great miracles that Jesus was performing towards the Jewish people, this Canaanite woman took it upon herself to personally locate Jesus and asks him to have pity on her.  She tells him that she has a daughter tormented by a demon.  What is unusual about this event is that the woman was a Canaanite. In the Old Testament understanding, the Canaanites were viewed as a very sinful race that embodied every possible evil and godlessness and was seen as a nation that was to be exterminated. Also surprising is that she not only wants Jesus to heal her daughter but refers to him as Lord and the Son of David, which are faith affirmations indicating that she believes Jesus as the Messiah.

The Gospel narrative tells us that, at first, Jesus ignored her. He did not show any response to her request. The more Jesus ignored her, the more the woman shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me.” When the woman was shouting repeatedly, the disciples of Jesus were getting annoyed and urged Jesus to send her away so that she would go away and they would have their peace. In this particular case, when the disciples were urging Jesus to dismiss the woman, this was not a request to just get rid of her, but their request was for Jesus to dismiss the woman by granting her petition. Jesus does not at this point directly address the woman but utters in the hearing of the disciples that his mission was only to Judaism. He tells them that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Yet she persists even when she gets an initial and notable rebuff from the disciples and even by Our Lord's initial negative response.

She is not about to take no for an answer. And so, she threw herself at His feet and repeated the words, “Lord, help me.”  What is important is that her prayer expresses both helplessness and faith, even when Jesus responds sharply that it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs, a slang used to indicate the Gentiles. The Gentiles, in the eyes of the Jews, were total outsiders and unclean and were considered no better than dogs.  But she responds with an answer that catches Jesus off guard.  She tells him that even though dogs do not get children’s food, they will surely eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. She is willing to share in any "scrap or morsel" of the richness God has to offer, which, ironically, is not being appreciated by those who sit at the table, viz the Jews. And she is RIGHT.  Our Lord does not merely say, you can enjoy the scraps that fall from the chosen one's table… He is saying to her, because of your faith and persistence….  you can JOIN the table…  What faith!!  What persistence!! In all of the Gospel of Matthew, only she is said to have “great” faith. Jesus is generous in His praise and in His healing power.

By showing unwillingness to heal in the beginning, perhaps Jesus was allowing her to show just how strong her faith in him was; and how strong her determination was. How very different her response is to the lukewarm response of these "chosen ones" around him, for whom he was indeed first offering his good news.

In fact, Jesus’ mission and work were almost entirely centered on his own people, and it was left to his disciples to go out to the world and preach.  We know from the Acts of the Apostles, they did not realize that at first.  It took some special experiences before they realized that the Gentiles could also be filled with the Spirit of God and were being called to be followers of Jesus.    Matthew stresses the key issue of today’s Gospel, namely the place of the Gentiles in a Christian community that originally considered itself exclusively for Jewish people.

At the same time, today’s Gospel is an affirmation that God’s love and mercy are extended to all who call on him in faith and trust, no matter who they are or where they are.  We had the words of Prophet Isaiah that the foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord and have loved his name and held on to his covenant, the Lord will bring them to the holy mountain.  He will make them joyful in His house of prayer. There are references to Our Lord starting out addressing the chosen ones of Israel. Still, by the end of his ministry, this has widened right out to include everyone and anyone who will respond positively to him and his message. 

God came among us with healing power, and He is looking for our faith. The Canaanite woman came to God in faith and in search of healing and found it. Your task, and mine as well, is to live a life-story just like hers. May the Lord help us to persevere in our faith and prayer just like this Canaanite woman did.