THE TEST OF FAITH
Meditation
for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
(Is
56:1-7; Rm 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt 15:21-28)
Let us meditate on the unique and beautiful faith of the Canaanite
woman, who cried out to Jesus, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David;
my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.” It is obvious that her urgent
need to save her daughter inspired her to run to Jesus for solution. This
natural instinct is understandable even in an unbeliever who is in serious
problem. Being a foreigner, she must possess a faith that is over and above her
problems for her to receive the answers. This kind of faith that is not problem
centered is what is already expected of all believers. The door of faith is
open to all peoples. The prophet Isaiah announced in the first reading that
foreigners who joined themselves to the Lord, who uphold the covenant, will be
made joyful and their sacrifices will be accepted.
In the second reading, we see how the Gentiles accepted
Jesus and believed in Him, but the Jews, through whom Jesus came, rejected him.
While ministering to the Gentiles, St Paul reaches out to the Jews too. The
mercy and love of God know no borders, His salvation is available to all. St.
Paul said he would use the example of the converted Gentiles to inspire some of
the Jews to accept Jesus. This is how the faith of the Canaanite woman is an
example for us today.
Jesus was silent as the woman kept asking for His
intervention. This period of silence was transformational though it was also a
period of testing for her. She had to decide either to continue calling on
Jesus or walk away. If she had remained at the level of the energy generated by
the problem, she would have given up when she received no answer. But she had
come to believe in Jesus, and she was drawn by the authority of Jesus over and
above her immediate need at that time. That was why she would not stop calling
on Jesus and following Him along the way. Her faith was purified of her ego and
attachment to her problem, such that she had to humble herself and exalt Jesus.
That was why as Jesus said, “It is not fair to take the
children’s bread and throw it to the dogs”, she responded, “Yes, Lord, yet even
the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” This is the
response of one who had died to herself in faith and alive in Christ Jesus through
faith. This is the kind of faith that is alive when a believer is not afraid of
‘God’s silence’ but through faith has come to recognize and maintain her
standing in Jesus, no matter the situation she finds herself. Then, Jesus
answered her, saying, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as
you desire.”
The door of faith is open to all peoples, but the journey through
it will test our patience and maturity in faith. If we have stepped in, we will
not give up when we experience the cold hand of ‘divine silence’, which gives us
opportunity to be purified and grow in faith. As we persevere in faith, God is
drawing us to His Holy Mountain, where His mercy awaits us. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Sunday August 20th, 2023.
