20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isa 56:1,6-7
Mt 15:21-28
“Woman, you have great faith…”
Today’s gospel is interesting because we see a side to Jesus that seems uncharacteristic. Despite the Canaanite woman shouting to get his attention, Jesus seems to ignore her pleas, the urgency of her request notwithstanding. She must have heard of his many miracles and was bold enough to approach him, despite her being a Gentile. The only healer in the world who might deliver her daughter was silent and indifferent because she was not one of the ‘lost sheep of the House of Israel.’
Yet, the Canaanite woman persisted and stayed, even when Jesus seems to callously dismiss her saying ‘it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ Her response is striking in its humility. She agrees that she has no rights, that she’s outside the covenant. Yet, in her desperation, she begs for what she knows God can choose to give, despite her disqualification. There is an implicit trust in the boundless mercy of God that looks past her ‘nothingness’ and the social norms of the day. Her response, “Ah yes, sir; but even house dogs can eat the scraps that fall off their master’s table.” might have thrown Jesus off, but what must have moved him is her desperation and love for her child. Jesus does not rebuke her. He celebrates her and affirms this Canaanite mother.
Brothers and sisters, what does great faith look like?
Great faith persists through silence. It does not demand immediate answers. It waits in the dark, trusting that the light will eventually break through.
Great faith is marked by great humility. It acknowledges our wretchedness. It agrees with God that we have no claim on His mercy — that mercy is pure gift — and dares to beg for it persistently. Great faith is never self-righteous; it is truly self-emptying.
Great faith is greater than fear. The Canaanite woman was oblivious to public humiliation, or the very real prospect of rejection. Her love for her daughter propelled her to persist, at the cost of her own comfort and dignity. In this way, her love mirrored the love Jesus would show for His people — a love that endures all shame, all pain, for the hope that those one loves might be saved.
The question for us today is this — Does our faith look anything like the Canaanite woman’s? She was not an insider and did not observe the Law nor practice the Jewish faith. What qualified her was what was within her heart. Her persistence to stay, cry out, and wait upon God, even for precious crumbs meant for dogs, was what moved Jesus to answer her prayer.
This gospel reminds us that God’s mercy is always available to us; not because we are good and worthy, but because He is. We might be completely undeserving of his favour, yet when we abandon our pride and say, ‘I will accept whatever you will do for me — just help me!’, something moves. May we persist in our prayers to ask for this gift of great faith.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Corinne Cheok)
Prayer: Dear Lord, show me the ‘Canaanites’ in my life that I have labelled as ‘other’. You save us not because we are deserving of your help, but out of your heart of love for each one of us. Grant me the same faith to intercede for others and not just myself, and to remember that no one is outside your mercy.
Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for various national efforts by leaders to promote religious harmony in our nation through ecumenical/inter-denominational dialogue. We are grateful for peace in Singapore. May we remember always that the Spirit can unite hearts across different races, cultures and religions.
OXYGEN 
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