Reflections
August 14, 2011, 8:00am
MANILA, Philippines — MATTHEW 15:21-28
Jesus went 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 [Jesus] 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.
Reflection:
O woman, great is your faith! What is great faith? One, it is not
about the doctrines you know. Faith is when you have nothing left and no
other recourse, and in desperation you cling fast and call out to your
God. Great faith is when God is all you’ve got and you wait for scraps
from His banquet. Then you realize God comes down with a feast for you.
Two, faith is when you are called a dog, you continue to act like a
human being, refusing to go down to the level of those who belittle you
or want to silence you. Great faith is when you continue to believe in
your cause against all odds.
Three, faith is when you do not give up hope, when you take anything
for a beloved, when you sincerely believe in the goodness of your God,
and when you firmly believe that goodness will triumph. Great faith is
when you do not give in to easy solutions and despair.
The greatest faith is perhaps when you take as brothers even the
people who are foreign to you, when you treat people as people and not
as dogs, and when you love people more than your pet dog.
Learn the prayer Memorare with your whole family.
No comments:
Post a Comment