Reading
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus' disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."
He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.
Reflection
The words of the Prophet Isaiah from the First Reading to "do what is just" (56:1) should inspire us to constantly push towards all that is right, just, and honorable.
The woman in the Gospel today is in dire straits. Her daughter, her flesh and blood, is being tormented by a demon. Her daughter is suffering, terribly suffering. She goes to Jesus to heal her. She is doing what is just and honorable by going to the true Divine Physician to heal her daughter.
Sometimes, like in the Gospel, when we go to the Lord, we do not receive what we want or receive what we want in the desired time frame. Instead, Our Lord draws out our faith as he did with the woman in today's Gospel. He does this, not to play some cruel game with us, but to help us reach the height of our spiritual potential. While we may not fully understand why our Lord does this, we can trust that the remedies of the Divine Physician will truly strengthen and heal us.
Today, let us do the just and honorable thing by turning to Christ with our needs, confident that He hears us and grants our requests in the manner that is eternally best for us.
As always, know of my prayers before the Real Presence of Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+Bishop Schlert
