WE ARE CALLED TO BE WOMEN/MEN OF GREAT FAITH!
WE ARE CALLED TO BE WOMEN/MEN OF GREAT FAITH!
On August 7, 2023, Catholic News Service reported an article: Miracle at Fátima? World Youth Day pilgrim receives her sight after Communion at Mass. Jimena, a 16-year-old Spanish World Youth Day pilgrim said, “I opened my eyes, and I could see perfectly.” She suffered for two and a half years a loss of sight due to a myopia problem that left her with a 95% vision loss. Jimena explained that she joined on August 5 for Rosary and Mass at the Fátima shrine. After receiving Communion, she began to cry a lot because it was the last day of Novena, and she wanted to be cured. She says, “When I opened my eyes, I could see perfectly,” the young woman continued, “It was overwhelming; very many thanks must be given for the miracle because I saw the altar, the tabernacle, my girlfriends were there, and I could see them perfectly.” She says it was a “great gift” from the Virgin Mary.
Today the theme of the readings expressed in the responsorial Psalm is “O God, let all the nations praise you!” Like Jimena, let us praise God for many blessings. In last Sunday's gospel reading, Peter's prayer was condensed into three words, "Lord, save me!" In today's Gospel, the Canaanite woman's prayer is “Lord, help me.” Peter was the Lord's chief disciple; the Canaanite woman was a pagan; but both of their prayers were the same. Jesus said to Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” on the other hand Jesus said to the Canaanite woman, “O woman, great is your faith!”
In the book of Genesis 10, we read that Noah’s descendants grew and formed new nations and peoples, including Canaanites, Babylonians, and the Philistines. Many of these nations would stray from God and embrace pagan religious practices. Sidon was the first-born son of Canaan (Genesis 10:15). In the Gospel (Matthew 15:22) the Canaanites came to Jesus. Gospel of Mark (7:26) refers to her more geographical background as “Syrophoenician.”
In today's Gospel Jesus was reluctant to help the woman. He told her that "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." To make it worse, he added "It is not fair to throw the children's food to dogs." The children of Israel hold the first claim to the blessing of the New Covenant (Matthew 15:24, Romans 1:16 and 9:4-5). The 'dogs' were foreigners. It was a Jewish nickname for all foreigners at that time. In the Gospel of Matthew 10:5-6, we see the mission of the twelve. Jesus told them “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Only after the resurrection, Jesus told them to go to all the nations (28:19). But in the Gospel 15:21-28, the Canaanite woman was humble and unwilling to be turned away. In the end, Jesus praises her faith and blesses her with healing for her daughter. Let us grow in our faith and bring us to Jesus for his blessing.
The first reading is from the book of Isaiah 56 which includes the third and final section of the book of Isaiah and it relates various prophesies about the New Jerusalem and other foreign nations. It is after the Babylonian exile restore the Temple and become the universal place of prayer. Israelites considered themselves holier than others. In those days only priests were allowed to come closer to the altar. Next to it was the men’s court, then the women’s court, and the outer court was for Gentiles. In the Gospel of Mark 11, Jesus entered the temple and drove out the money changers. Jesus cleansed the outer court, the place of Gentile worshipers. Jesus repeats Isaiah 56:7, “My house shall be called the house of prayer for all nations (11:17). Through the cleansing of the temple, Jesus restores access to the Gentiles. It was permissible for them in the Second Temple time. Five hundred years before Christ, Isaiah declared that the foreigners who were willing to obey God’s covenant and who observe the sabbath could worship in the temple and which would house prayer for all people.
Jesus’ heart is open to all of us, and his blood is shed for all of us. The question is do we have faith like the Canaanite woman to embrace the “gift” he shares with us? Jesus wants to heal us and restore us. He reminds us every time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist and invites us to embrace his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity with great faith.