Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 15,21-28

Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And suddenly out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, 'Lord, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.' But he said not a word in answer to her. And his disciples went and pleaded with him, saying, 'Give her what she wants, because she keeps shouting after us.' He said in reply, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.' But the woman had come up and was bowing low before him. 'Lord,' she said, 'help me.' He replied, 'It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to little dogs.' She retorted, 'Ah yes, Lord; but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table.' Then Jesus answered her, 'Woman, you have great faith. Let your desire be granted.' And from that moment her daughter was well again.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Jesus entered pagan territory. He overcame boundaries and this says a lot about the universal vision of the Gospel: from the beginning Jesus crossed borders. That woman had certainly heard good things about Jesus. And she did not want to miss the opportunity to call for help for her daughter possessed by the devil. Jesus initially did not answer her. The evangelist explicitly notes: "But he did not answer her at all." Despite Jesus' silence, she did not give up. Jesus himself will tell the disciples to persevere in prayer, without getting tired. This is what the woman was already doing. And she also turned to the disciples so that they intercede for her. The disciples - and here there is an important note about the importance for the believers to intercede for those who are in need, like this woman - told Jesus: "Make her happy and send her away." Jesus' response to the disciples may seem harsh. The woman, not at all resigned, did not give in. She got closer to Jesus and prostrated in front of him. Then she cried only few words: "Lord, help me." And Jesus told her: "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." The woman listened to him but dialogued with Jesus. She did not know that in the biblical tradition, the term "dogs" refers to enemies, sinners, and the idolatrous pagan nations. But the pagan woman took advantage of the literal meaning of Jesus' words and she dared to resist Jesus; in a certain sense, she started a fight with him. Praying is also fighting. We could say that her faith in that prophet is greater than the prophet's resistance. Consequently, Jesus responds with an expression that is unusual in the Gospels: this is "great faith," not "little faith." Not even God can resist a faith like this.