Wednesday 7 August 2024
St Sixtus II & Cc; St Cajetan
Jeremiah 31:1-7. The Lord will guard us, like a shepherd guarding his flock – Jeremiah 31:10-13. Matthew 15:21-28.
The Canaanite woman debates with Jesus
This passage presents an odd scenario: a desperate woman seeks Jesus’ help and is met with silence, then a perplexing statement that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. Jesus was a Jewish rabbi, but at this moment it starts becoming clear his intentions are vast. His hesitation and the controversial analogy likening Gentiles to ‘dogs’ would be more than enough to get him cancelled today. The woman, however, doesn’t accept it. She challenges him, a rare instance of someone contesting Christ directly, and her bold badgering wins the day. So, what’s the takeaway? The value of earnest persistence can lead to revelations of God’s mercy? Or that divine compassion is not confined by ethnicity or geography? Or perhaps that the love of the woman for her sick child was enough to publicly shirtfront the son of God?
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