CALLING US TO DEEPER FAITH

CALLING US TO DEEPER FAITH Fr Luke A Veronis A desperate woman approaches Jesus to help her daughter and yet, at first, “the Lord does not answer her a word.” This foreign woman continues to beg to Christ and cries out to him a second time, but Jesus coldly responds, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Finally, she kneels down before Christ and humbly asks him a third time, “Lord help me,” only to hear Jesus say, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” What seemingly harsh words and responses Jesus gives this desperate mother. The woman only wants to help her demon-possessed daughter but she runs into what seems to be an obstinate and heartless Jesus. Yet, is Jesus so heartless and cold? Let’s reflect in a deeper way at what happened here. Why does our Lord respond to this woman in this manner? And maybe, can we apply this story to our own experiences and ask “Why is it that sometimes in our own lives, it may seem that Christ is not listening to our pleas and cries; it may seem that He turns His back to us?” Yet, is this true? We know clearly from Holy Scripture and from the Holy Tradition of our Church that God loves us unconditionally. We are His children and He desires more than anything for our salvation, for us to be united with Him. We hear in Scripture when Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are burdened and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” We hear in the Gospel of John Jesus say, “I will never turn away anyone who comes to me.” We listen to the many stories about Jesus, the Good Shepherd, searching for the one lost sheep, and then even sacrificing Himself on the Cross to take upon Himself the sins of the fallen and evil world; He died for the salvation of all of us, including those who are lost. How can Jesus make all these beautiful promises to come to those who are lost, and then speak so harshly to this desperate woman? Well, St John Chrysostom offers us an answer. He notes that “Christ’s words- “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” - were not spoken as an insult. Instead, He spoke these words for the exact purpose of calling forth the woman’s hidden virtue and reveals to all present the great treasure of faith that she possessed.” In other words, Jesus knew what was inside this Canaanite woman. He saw her heart and wanted to bring out the beauty that she had hidden within. His seemingly harsh words were not meant to demean the woman. Instead, they were a set-up to show everyone the great faith this foreign, non-Jewish woman possessed.For after Jesus speaks to her, she responds exactly as He expected. Our Lord says, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” To which she responds with extreme humility and faith, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat what falls from the children’s table.” She doesn’t get offended. She doesn’t get angry. She doesn’t despair at Jesus’ harsh response. Instead, her humility and faith bring out the greatness of her hidden virtue. Jesus thus praises her and says, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." We can learn from this beautiful story that even when it seems like God is not listening to our prayers, or doing what we want Him to do according to our own desires, there may be a deeper reason. Maybe Christ is testing us and challenging our superficial understanding of life and faith. Maybe He wants us to dig deep within ourselves and to respond with perseverance, with humility, and with deep trust like the Canaanite Woman. This surely isn’t easy. To persevere in the face of a desperate situation, to persevere and never despair even as our situation deteriorates isn’t easy. To respond with humility, knowing that we are unworthy to demand anything before God, and yet simultaneously to understand that God welcomes our entreaties and unconditionally loves us in the midst of whatever struggles we face isn’t easy. And then to respond with deep faith, a faith that continues to believe even when we don’t see an end to our problems, continues to hope even when things seem absolutely hopeless, continues to trust in God even when we don’t understand what is happening around us, surely isn’t easy! Yet, God is ultimately in control and will see us through whatever we face according to His timing and according to His Divine Will. Saint Paul offers a memorable teaching when he writes, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This verse reminds us that God desires our good and will see things through for our good as we persevere with humility and deep faith. Remember, Holy Scripture teaches us that “the Lord disciplines everyone He loves and chastises everyone He accepts as His children.” Here is a helpful paraphrase from the Messenger Bible: My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that’s why you must never despair. He’s treating you as dear children. This challenge you face isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. In the moment, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off big-time, for it’s the well-trained person who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.” When it seems that God is not hearing our prayers; when it appears that God’s answer to us is harsh or cold, be careful not to misunderstand and fall away. Don’t give in to despair, thinking God doesn’t care or He isn’t nearby. NO! Like the Canaanite Woman, approach our Lord Jesus boldly, with confidence and hope, and yet draw near to God with perseverance, with humility, and with deep faith that in the end “all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” When we hear Jesus say, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” don’t take offense or be hurt, simply respond, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat what falls from the children’s table.”