Great Faith!

Day 6^th of January, 2018 – I feel completely let down. I feel treated like a dog. The Spirit of God reminds me of this passage of the Syrophoenician woman.

Day 7^th of January, 2018 – As I am thinking on this, Jesus makes me understand. I think if the Master screams at the dog telling it to leave. The dog in obedience wags its tail and understands the command and leaves, though not wanting to. The dog wants to be with His master. I remember our dogs in Mangalore, whenever I would go to Church, they would come following me expecting me to play with them. I being so terrified would make them go back home. But no matter how much I screamed at them, they were still obedient and loving and they would wait to see me till the end of the road. I could be that dog. Now that I understand. Humility and courage and boldness, my goodness – the works of Jesus are magnificent. 

Also I was told I was number 6 and then given the number 7 only to be dropped out from the list. Numbers 6 & 7 of July retreat (2017. Days 14^th-16^th)   

  

Both Matthew and Mark record an episode which took place in the region of Tyre & Sidon. Matthew wrote:

21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Have you ever been ignored? Oh, yes, we all have! How many times have you ever suffered humiliation or been told in an abrupt manner to wait or maybe just leave? Maybe once, maybe twice or more, whatever the number. If we are outsiders, our presence, opinions and our voice do not count. Our requests go unheeded. 

The deeper the faith, the greater the humility.

In this Gospel a woman-{a Greek, Syrophoenician by race, a Gentile}, an outsider, has great humility and perseverance to face an objection to her status. The woman, calls out to Jesus, seeking healing for her daughter who is tormented by a demon. Three times Jesus responds to her in a rather puzzling way. First, He ignores her, presumably to see if she is serious about her request. Her calls to Jesus probably had taken place for a long time. She shouted after Him to the dismay of His Apostles, pleading for the deliverance of her possessed daughter. The disciples, tired of her efforts, wanted Jesus to send her away. Jesus had set out to fulfill the promise God the Father made to the Israelites, His chosen people. He reminded His Apostles that He was sent only to the House of Israel. The woman, however, was undaunted. She knelt at His feet in an attitude of humble supplication. "'lord,' she said, 'help me.'

The most difficult challenge comes when Jesus says that it is not right to take what is meant for children and throw it to the dogs.

Now, even though Jews used this expression to the Gentiles in a condescending way, I do not believe our Lord used the expression in such a manner. Rather, He is using a common expression for the Gentiles. 

  

By this time any proud person would have walked away, insulted. Not so, this woman. She merely accepted her lowly position and answered, by humbly requesting the scraps from the master’s table. Jesus, at this point is clearly impressed with the depth of her faith and responds in a warm and generous way to her search for God and for healing: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done as you wish.”

Saint Augustine says, that Jesus replied to her this way because he wanted to draw out from her the perseverance he knew she had. Jesus’ compassion was not one of immediately giving her what she wanted and sending her away. It was rather to draw out her faith and cause it to be stronger.

Sometimes, in the Gospels, Jesus responds immediately to a request for help or healing. Sometimes He delays. Sometimes Jesus is gentle and warm. Sometimes He is firm and distant. In the end, He always offers His blessings to those who come to Him with faith and trust.

Because of her great humility, she saw in the words of Jesus not an insult, but believing against all odds that her daughter could be helped.

She is able to overlook her place because she accepted it. And she acknowledged the place of Christ. She repeatedly called him “Lord” and “Son of David”. She won the heart of God and received the favour that she asked for and her daughter was healed. In her perseverance that her humility allowed, she found her place at the table of the Lord. 

Jesus often says or does something which allows a person to demonstrate faith. We need to remember that Jesus knows the depths of our hearts better than we know them ourselves. He knows how to prepare our hearts so that we are ready to receive what we really need. God’s wisdom and love are at times very puzzling to us, beyond our comprehension, but His actions always flow from the depths of His love and His truth.

Consider the following observations about this woman of great faith.

• Great faith is seeing one’s complete dependence upon God.
• She was steadfast and resilient in her request of the Lord.

• She believed in Christ’s miraculous power and she asked for “mercy” in the form of a miracle. Her request was actually for her daughter.
• This encounter with the Son of God made her stronger. No matter what she kept coming! She would be satisfied with but a crumb from her Master’s table.
• When Christ came into her region, she pursued Him, worshiped Him, plead with Him, and reasoned with Him.
• James challenges: “Show me your faith apart from your works” James. 2:18
• She did not believe in self-pity. If she did she then would not have asked, and hence, would not have received! 

All obstacles, have one aim. Jesus is putting her to the test to bring out of her genuine faith of the most extraordinary kind.

Do you notice what she does? You know, when Jesus says, “It is not right to cast the children's bread and give it to the dogs…” (to refer to her as a dog) And you notice she agrees. She says, ‘Yes, Lord. But even the dogs may eat of the crumbs that fall from the master's table.’ You have dogs who lie underneath the table when you’re eating? 

But she knew this much: that the answer to her problem, lay in one person only and it was Jesus. And no matter what the obstacles, no matter what the difficulties, she persevered. She would not take no for an answer. She believed, however small the evidence seemed to be. And Jesus says of her, ‘Your faith is great.’ She abandons everything and lays hold of what at first seems to be only a glimmer of hope: that if Jesus was first, as the account in Mark says, sent to the lost sheep of the tribe of Israel, there was at least some hope that in the second place Jesus was sent for those who are not of Israel, and, therefore, for her. 

This passage is saying to us… well. And tell me if we don't say with the disciples from time to time, ‘Lord, send them away, because they’re just a nuisance.’

But this passage is also saying this: Anyone can come to Jesus and find mercy. “Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus is saying to you, 'Come unto Me'. Bring your burden, bring your trial and COME. 

Please continue with:

Give Thanks!
God's Ways
The Words of Eternal Life
Purgatory...
Reverence to...GOD!
It's a wonderful LIFE!