Regnum Christi August 3, 2016 – Daring Doggedness
Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Matthew 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 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.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him 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 her daughter was healed from that hour.
Introductory Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I believe you want me to have faith in you, faith that hearkens to your words without any second guessing. I hope in your words, not relying solely on my own strength or reasoning. I love you. You continue to astonish me by showing me that your ways are not my ways.
Petition:
Lord, fill my heart with gratitude and trust even when those I love suffer.
1. My daughter…
“My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Sufferings of strangers stir our compassion. But when a son or daughter suffers, anguish can reach fever pitch. Imagine the agony of the mother in this Gospel passage. Imagine the near-physical pain she felt in the depths of her heart. However, her love nourished her hope and propelled her to seek out Christ. When those we love suffer, we need the same wisdom to seek the Lord.
2. Unfathomed Dimensions:
Only a mother or father knows the depths of his or her love for a child: “Words cannot express.…” We truly understand love when it involves people we know and love. Contemplate the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Imagine the false accusations, scourging, humiliations and the crucifixion. Now imagine your own son or daughter, or mom or dad or loved one, suffering the same fate. Christ’s passion takes on a new dimension.
3. Our Title to God’s Grace:
“Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Faith and humility move Christ’s heart. How easily we adopt a spoiled-child mentality, believing that we deserve more. “The earth doesn’t owe you a living,” a sage once said. “It was here before you.” How much happier we are when we acknowledge our littleness and unworthiness, when we recognize our status as creatures of God who gives us life, breath and every beat of our heart. All we possess is a gift of his creative love. How happy we are when we are grateful and let him know this a thousand times a day.
Conversation with Christ:
Lord, I will praise and thank you a thousand times and in a thousand ways for all you do for me. Even sufferings, I know, come from your hand for my greater good, although I may not always perceive the good at that moment. Give me the gratitude, faith and trust to accept my cross and rejoice in your creative love for me.
Resolution:
I will thank the Lord repeatedly throughout the day.
Homily of the DayAugust 3, 2016
The Gospel reading simply shows how anyone who has true faith in the Lord can have his or her prayer answered. To the Lord, everyone has the same opportunity to receive God’s grace. It is not meant solely for His chosen people but for anyone who has that unwavering faith in him.
We go through many rejections, but Jesus wants to empower us to “beg” for what we need. In this scene, our Lord is in an area for foreigners. That is why a Canaanite woman was able to approach him. It may seem like Jesus did not want to help this mother by telling her that he came for the Jewish faithful only. But perhaps, he was only trying to see how much she really wanted him to heal her daughter.
By bravely proclaiming that even if she was not a Jew, she was still willing to get the crumbs or whatever was leftover, she impressed Christ to proudly declare that she had so much faith in his healing touch.
If we could only have such a faith, what a grace that would be!