TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A

[cappie]

Today we read once again from the Gospel of Matthew, it is a story that illustrates the power of faith and the boundless compassion of Jesus Christ.  

Most of us are the foreigners, the non-Israelites, about whom today’s First Reading prophesies. Coming to worship the God of Israel, we stand in the line of faith epitomized by the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel. Calling to Jesus as Lord and Son of David, this foreigner shows her great faith in God’s covenant with Israel.

It is a story of pain and power and prayer, and, ultimately, of blessing. It’s not just a nice little story about Jesus granting the request of a Gentile woman. Rather, at its deepest level, it is a complex and fearful story about Jesus’ sense of identity and mission being transformed, and about the boundaries separating Jew from Gentile, friend from enemy, and male from female being transgressed. Sorry. No stories about sweet Jesus meek and mild today. 

Fresh from confrontation with the religious authorities of the day, Jesus travels to the far northwest border of Israel, to the region of the cities of Tyre and Sidon. This is Gentile territory, which means that a Jew like Jesus was approaching enemy territory. And out there in the borderland between Jew and Gentile, between friend and enemy, Jesus is suddenly approached by a local woman. We are told that she was a Canaanite, which means she was not just any old Gentile. Canaanites were old and bitter enemies of Israel. In first-century Palestine, Jesus and this woman are separated by religious boundaries, national boundaries, and gender boundaries.

She shouts at him from a safe distance, trying to communicate across all the boundaries that keep them separate.

Notice that the woman says, “Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.” She does not say have mercy on my daughter but rather have mercy on me. Something is tormenting her daughter, and a mother who sees her daughter suffering, a mother who sees her child dying, is a mother who is suffering and dying herself. A mother sees her child suffering and dying, and she cannot bear the pain it is causing her, so she cries out, “take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil..”

Her ethnicity and background might have marked her as an outsider, but her need transcends all boundaries.

In response to the woman's plea, Jesus initially remains silent. His disciples urge Him to send her away, but He uses this moment to test her faith. Jesus' words might appear harsh, as He refers to her as a "dog," a term often used to describe Gentiles. However, this test serves to reveal the depth of her faith. Would she persevere even when faced with apparent rejection?

Instead of being discouraged by Jesus' words, the Canaanite woman responds with humility and tenacity. She acknowledges her position but boldly declares her faith that even the "crumbs" from the Master's table would be enough to heal her daughter. Her response moves Jesus deeply, and He commends her faith, exclaiming, " ‘Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.’ " In that moment, her daughter is healed.

The Canaanite woman's persistence teaches us not to be discouraged by apparent obstacles or delays. Genuine faith keeps knocking on the door of heaven's mercy, believing that God's timing and plan are perfect.

This woman's faith wasn't contingent on her circumstances or how she was initially treated. Her trust in Jesus remained unshaken. Our faith, too, should rest firmly in Christ, regardless of the challenges we face.

  It is a profound story of thresholds being crossed, boundaries being propped up and then being broken down again. It is a troubling and painful story of misunderstanding and insult. But it is also the story of a blessing received through the persistence and faith of a desperate woman. And through her persistence and faith, the walls separating Jew from Gentile, male from female, friend from enemy came tumbling down, and our understanding of Christ’s mission was transformed into a message of hope and salvation for the whole world.

 

Jesus came first to restore the kingdom to Israel. But His ultimate mission was the reconciliation of the world, as Paul declares in today’s Second Reading. In the Mass we join all peoples in doing Him homage. As Isaiah foretold, we come to His holy mountain, the heavenly Jerusalem, to offer sacrifice at His altar. With the Canaanite, we take our place at the Master’s table to be fed as His children.