Jeremiah 31:1-7; Matthew 15:21-28
By Father Peter Latouf
The story about the Canaanite woman is definitely one of my favorite Gospel stories. Every time it comes around, I am happy to read it. There’s such a fascinating conversation that happens!
At first, though, it can be one of the most confusing conversations Jesus has, right?
The woman comes to Him and asks Him to heal her daughter. She isn’t Jewish; she’s a Canaanite. Jesus’ ministry has been focused on the people of Israel. When she first cries out to Him, He doesn’t even answer her at all. Next, He tells her, “Well, I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel.” Then, when she keeps asking, Jesus says something that almost sounds a little bit shocking: “It’s not right to take the children’s food and give it to the dogs.”
The Canaanite Woman’s Response to Jesus’ Statement
If the story ended there, we’d all be pretty uncomfortable. But it doesn’t end there. Her response is the reason I love this passage. She doesn’t argue with Jesus. She doesn’t become offended. She doesn’t get upset and say, “Oh, he called me a dog!” She doesn’t storm away in anger. Instead, she takes the image that Jesus has given her and somehow turns it into an argument for why He should help her anyway! Basically what she is saying is, “Lord, I understand exactly what you’re saying, but surely there’s enough blessings in Your kingdom for someone small, like me.”
Jesus’ Response to Her Challenge
Jesus loves that answer! He says, “Woman, great is your faith!” Jesus praised people’s faith several times in the Gospels, but almost every time He says it to people that society wouldn’t expect. He said, “How great is your faith!” to a Roman centurion who said he was not worthy to have Jesus enter under his roof. Jesus says it to the Canaanite woman. He says it to people outside Israel. Meanwhile, many of the religious experts–the Pharisees and the Sadducees–never get told, “How great is your faith!” They get told, “You don’t really understand the Scriptures.”
The Qualities of Her Faith
I’ve often wondered what it was about this woman’s answer that Jesus found so beautiful. I think it’s because she combines two qualities that don’t always go together. She showed incredible humility, and she had incredible confidence at the same time. Usually, we think of those as opposites. If somebody is very confident, we think of them as bold and self-assured. And if somebody is humble, we think of them as quiet and almost apologetic for being annoying or even existing. But this woman is both humble and confident. She doesn’t claim that she’s entitled to anything. She simply trusts that Jesus is so good and so generous that even the smallest gift from Him would be enough. That’s her faith.
It’s what makes the story we’ve been hearing day after day in Jeremiah make sense, too. People whose lives have been falling apart, but God tells them, “I love you with an everlasting love.” I have loved you when you are who you are right now. He doesn’t tell the people, “I’ll love you later when you get all of your stuff together.” Or “I’ll love you again once you start figuring things out and are doing well again.” God says, “I love you with an everlasting love.” That’s the kind of confidence that the Canaanite woman has. She believes that God’s mercy is greater than whatever barriers are standing in front of her. That’s fantastic!
The People Jesus Came to Save
There’s another detail that I want to mention. On Sunday, I stated that there are only two miracle stories that are in all four Gospels: The Resurrection Story and the Multiplication of Loaves. Matthew could have left this story out of his Gospel. He had plenty of stories to choose from, but I think he included this conversation because the early Church needed to understand very clearly that the salvation that Jesus came to bring wasn’t just going to be only for the people within the borders of Israel. It was going to reach the whole world! And this woman becomes the preview of what’s going to happen when the Gospel begins spreading out to the whole world.
“How Great Is Your Faith!”
That’s why I never get tired of this passage. It’s clever. It’s surprising. It’s memorable. But most importantly, it shows us what faith sounds like–not demanding, not giving up, but trusting in the goodness of Christ. The way Christ ends, the way He speaks to that woman is a very great line. If I could hear one sentence from the Lord at the end of my life, “How great is your faith!” would be pretty high on my list. ” Imagine if we pass away, which we all will one day, and we’re standing before Christ and He says, “Woman,” or “Sir, how great is your faith!” we’d be pretty happy. That would be a good thing to hear! So, we want to make that happen ourselves by trying to stay faithful and by always offering our prayers.
I so appreciate the homilies being presented this way. Thank you