Throw it all to the Dogs

In the Gospel this weekend we see three accounts of Jesus. The first involves a Canaanite woman’s journey of faith. Second, she leaves her own religion behind her and turns to Jesus who is a Jewish rabbi, and thirdly, she places her faith in Him and looks to Him for a miraculous cure for her daughter. 

Jesus refusing the appeals of the Canaanite woman at first but she is so humble that He cannot resist her appeals for the life of her daughter. Jesus follows the customs of His culture. He insults the woman, but she is the only woman recorded in the gospels who matches Jesus’ normally sharp wit. We are challenged to have the faith of this woman who was not a Hebrew, not “of the chosen people.” 

I don’t know what it is like for you, but in my daily life I meet people at times who seem to have no obvious faith and yet seem to trust more in God than I do. We meet people who have other religious systems and have given their lives over completely to the teachings of those systems, while we are lukewarm in our faith in Christ. 

This is exactly Jesus’ point: What great faith we find in others! 

May our own faith grow as we reflect on these readings this weekend. May we grow in our respect and love for others who do not share our faith. May we find ways to speak about our own faith so that others may understand the incredible power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.