Daily Mass Gospel Reflection- Persevering In Prayer - No Matter What

Word on Fire Ministry ^ | 08_09_2023 | Bishop Robert Barron

[MurphsLaw]

Matthew 15:21–28

Friends, the Gospel for today is the account of the persistent Canaanite woman.
Like all of the “hard” Gospel stories,
it packs a spiritual punch.

God’s salvific purposes are for the whole world.
Israel was chosen so that it would be a vehicle for the salvation of all.
Therefore, Jesus’ primary mission is indeed to his fellow Jews,
but throughout the Gospels,
there are hints that his ministry has a wider purpose.

When Jesus enters a pagan territory, a Canaanite woman calls out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
She represents the longing of the world for the justice, the mercy,
and the love of God.
She senses correctly where this is to be found.
She embodies the hunger of lost humanity.

Jesus’ responses move from silence,
to an indirect rebuke, to an outright insult.
And rolling with the punches,
the woman responds with faith that pleases the Lord.
Is Jesus testing the woman in order that she might know just how great her faith is?
That was St. Augustine’s explanation for why God sometimes says no to repeated prayer.
And this is why perseverance in prayer is so strongly recommended in the great tradition.

[MurphsLaw]

+++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.+++

[RoosterRedux]

“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!

By calling Jesus "Son of David" she is showing that she knows exactly who he is (i.e., the Messiah).

[MurphsLaw]

Perhaps Jesus' reputation preceded him.. with those Canaanites... lol