Did the Lord really mean it when He said that the food of the children must not be taken away and given to the dogs? Did He just categorically marginalize that Canaanite woman as one outside the household of God and bereft of any grace or blessing that is duly for the people of Israel only?
It is unthinkable and outrageously impossible that His response to the woman was in the same context that it was heard. For it is my firm belief that Jesus would have granted the woman’s wish even without uttering a word because He knew how great her faith was beforehand. But like in many cases, He found the opportunity to teach His disciples a valuable lesson of how an unfaltering faith moves God’s mercy despite the perceived unworthiness of a person. Most, if not everybody, who were with Jesus were overbearingly eager to dismiss the woman as a nuisance that must be shooed away from their way. In the end, her faithful response opened the eyes of the disciples to Jesus’ ways of mercy and love.
If I pause and think about how many granted petitions, be it fervently prayed for or subconsciously wished for, did I have in the past, then I can only bow in great amazement and gratitude before Him realizing how much He has been bestowing His graces and blessings to my family. Healthy and loving parents, God-fearing siblings, completed college studies, passed board examination, good friends, a family of my own, a loving and caring wife, our affectionate kids, a stable work abroad to name a few. Yes, I do have my trying moments but the good ones simply out-ratio the bad ones. Sometimes I do ask myself if I deserve them all. I may not get the exact answer to that question because only God sees me either as a worthy household member of His or, in a higher chance of likelihood, a “dog with faith” who is in the receiving end of His boundless mercy and graces.
Anyway, it is not even important to dwell on that thought. What is of utmost importance now is that I do not become a conceited child of God, who, like the disciples at that moment, see others us unworthy of God’s attention and love. I must remember that no human being is meant to be a “scrap” of the world. What I need to be, is a person who awakens or reminds or rejuvinate other people’s faith and help them feel and be filled with the hope of the Lord in the face of their trials in their lives. This is the essence of God’s blessings in my life.
And so, may we, whether abundant in life or still in want, become, as what St. Francis prayed for during his lifetime, God’s channel of His love, joy and peace.
God bless.
Matthew 15:21-28
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of
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.
Jesus’ 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
But the woman came and did Jesus 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 the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.
