Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’
He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’
Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
So often we spiritual directors are asked, “Does God answer our prayers?” For it can sometimes seem that perhaps he does not.
In truth, God always answers our prayers – in God’s time and in God’s way. It may not be when or what we think we need and want, yet God hears, God cares, and God sees from a perspective far beyond what we can. Sometimes God’s answer is yes-and now. Sometimes God’s answer is not yet. This one calls for patience. The real ouch is when God seems to be saying, “I have a better plan in mind for you”.
The woman in today’s Gospel is persistent. Her faith is real and she trusts that Jesus will respond.
How deep is my faith and my trust- and am I open to the response God chooses to give?
—Mary McKeon is a retreat master and spiritual director at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, in Barrington, IL.
Jesus, I trust in you.
—Divine Mercy Chaplet prayer
Please share the Good Word with your friends!
