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Do you see yourself in this Gospel scene? Where are you, who are you? With whom do you identify? Are you the Canaanite woman, who was very aggressive and insistent? Not for her sake, but to benefit the one she so dearly loves? Have you experienced what it is to risk being humiliated, to be put in hot water, even if it would not benefit you, but for the sake of somebody you love so dearly? The Canaanite woman risked being rejected. She risked being rebuked. She risked being sent away, but she took the risk because she loved so much. Are you that woman?
Are you the daughter who is sick and helpless? You want so much to speak, to play, to stand, to run, but are unable to do all of these because your body won’t let you. Are you that girl right now? Do you feel that every time you move, you are caught in quicksand? Do you feel that whatever you do is wrong? Each time you do anything, it just complicates the matter. You say something and the problem gets worse? Are you that girl?
How about the apostles? Do you see yourself in them? The apostles wanted to be more comfortable. They wanted to live a life of convenience. Therefore, they wanted the noisy woman out. They wanted to send her away because she was causing too much trouble. The apostles simply wanted to focus on the Lord, and they did not care if somebody is in need. All they wanted was their comfort, their peace, no matter how restricted, no matter how small. Are you that apostle? Are you the apostles turning away people because you are just sick and tired of people who create noise in your life?
Where are you? Who are you in the Gospel? The aggressive, makulit mother or the helpless daughter? Are you the aggressive apostles who wanted to keep Jesus all for themselves? I understand that it might be hard for you to answer this question because very often we are all these.
Very often we can be the woman who would risk everything, mindless of what other people would say, the demands on the budget or of our time. We call it expressed love. Sometimes we can be that daughter, helpless, not knowing what to do, and everything we do worsens the situation. Sometimes we can be like the apostles, too, concerned about ourselves that we forget that we must break down the barriers and move on.
Today, let us ask the Lord for three graces—the grace to be persistent in loving, the grace to be trusting in our helplessness, and the grace to break the boundaries of our love.
PERSISTENT TRUST
Mt. 15:21-28
Love Like Jesus
