Perseverance in Prayer!

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Jer 31:1-7; Mt 15:21-28

Today’s Gospel offers an example of perseverance in prayer. 

There are at least three factors that play against the Canaanite woman’s request to heal her daughter. 

1. Her Background: As a Canaanite woman, she was a gentile. There was a traditional hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles. Hence, her Gentile origin became the first impediment to winning favor from Jesus. 

2. The Discouragement from the Disciples: Jesus’ disciples wanted to get rid of her, with or without her wish granted. It is clear from the text that they didn’t want a Gentile woman to bother Jesus with her appeal. 

3. Jesus’ Hesitation: To add to her worries, we find Jesus hesitant to answer her request. Moreover, a careless reader would impute racist motives to Jesus’ remarks to the woman. Only her strong confession of faith moves Jesus to grant her wish. (St. Chrysostom explains that the very purpose of Jesus visiting the border towns was to abolish the hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles. Moreover, by pushing her to come out with her best defense, Jesus turns the Canaanite woman into an exemplar of faith for his followers). 

Despite all these impediments, the woman makes the winning claim. 

Undeterred by any of the above factors, she addresses Jesus ‘Lord’ all three times. 

The woman’s attitude reminds me of what Paulo Coelho writes in The Alchemist. ‘When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.’

The Canaanite woman is our teacher in faith. Let us pray for the grace to imitate her example!

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar