Take on the Heart of Jesus

The Gospel story at today's Mass is a difficult one to hear at first.  Jesus appears to be rude to the Canaanite woman who is pleading for her daughter's life.  "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!"  These are startling words coming from a Gentile.  At first Jesus appears to be ignoring her.  He doesn't answer or even look her way.  The disciples want to send her away so annoyed are they at her behavior.  Then Jesus himself seems to dismiss her as well:  "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."  But this woman is undaunted in her desire to get Jesus' attention.  She believes with all her heart that he can help her and cure her daughter who is tormented by a demon.  She continues to call out, unfazed by her dismissal.  "Lord help me!" she cries out again.  What determination and strength of character.  She will not give up.  She keeps calling out to the Lord in her misery.  Once again, Jesus appears to refuse her plea:  "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs."  Those are harsh, insensitive words.  We can hardly believe they come from the lips of Jesus when we hear them.  Once again she will not give in:  "Please Lord even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters."   It is impossible not to be moved to tears for this woman, begging for her daughter's life, unwilling to move away from this encounter with Jesus.  She has come for a favor and will not be denied.

Then Jesus brings the conversation to a climax.  He speaks what was in his heart from the beginning and what he knew all along.  "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish."  He heals the daughter.  His love overflows from his heart into the life of this woman from Cana who has risked everything to fall at the feet of Jesus.   And the richness of his mercy, the font of his healing love, brings restoration and peace to her and her family.   

We know the purpose of this conversation.  Jesus was playing the devil's advocate for the sake of the people of Israel and his disciples.  Here is a Gentile, an unbeliever, who has such faith in Jesus. She knows who He is and believes with all her heart that he can cure her daughter and help her.  "O woman, great is your faith!"  These are words of indictment on those who should have that same kind of faith, but have remained in their stubbornness and hardness of hearts and refuse to put their faith in Jesus as the Messiah.

Jesus speaks the words to that woman that he knows are in the hearts and minds of his followers.  They do believe that she is dog. They look down on her out of their sense of pride.  They believe that they are better than her.  Let us send her away they say to Jesus. She is not worth our time.  Jesus puts those words out there so they can be seen and heard for all their ugliness.  But that is not what Jesus sees.  He sees her inner beauty, her faith, her desire, and her great love.   He looks upon her with compassion.  He sees her for who she truly is - a child of God destined for glory.   And he uses her to point out the lack of faith in the hearts of his disciples and those following him.   She becomes a shining example of what we must be if we desire to follow Jesus.   She teaches us important lessons:  perseverance in prayer, courage in the face of difficulties, complete trust in the power of God, faith in Jesus Christ, and the abandonment of our will that is necessary for real and lasting faith - and eternal salvation.

There is another lesson for us as well.  We who all too often are quick to judge others.  We easily look down on those who are different from us.  We can dismiss those with whom we disagree.   All around us today is the ugliness of division and separation that begins when we fail to see each person as one created in the image and likeness of God, just like us, brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.  Can we not try each day to see others differently, to be less quick to judge or to dismiss those in our lives that are difficult for us?  The Gospel calls us to put aside prejudices, bias, anything at all in our hearts that separates us from others.  We are called to take on the heart of Jesus.