20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Sunday, August 17, 2008
St. Clement’s Catholic Church
Saratoga Springs, NY

Isaiah 56: 1, 6 – 7
Psalm 67: 2 – 3, 5, 6, 8
Romans 11: 13 – 15, 29 – 32
Matthew 15: 21 – 28

This morning’s Gospel can be summed up in two very similar words: persistence and perseverance. The woman in that meets Jesus is persistent in what she wants. She has a goal in mind and nothing (nor anyone) is going to stand in her way.

Last night many of us watched Michael Phelps capture his eighth gold medal in eight tries. However, the 100 meter butterfly race on Friday night was one of the most exciting races I have ever witnessed. By a mere fraction of .01 seconds he captured the gold, thankful I hear he forgot to clip his finger nails and that gave him the slightest edge in his victory. Seriously though, we admire his persistence and perseverance. For years this one goal of capturing eight gold medals in one Olympic Games has driven him. Think of the countless laps he has swam in preparation. Think of the hours of training and weight lifting he has participated in. He is a man of routine and he has stuck to that routine all for the sake of winning the Gold. By the merest fraction of a second it all paid off. Years of preparation all came down to a quick 50 second race. Michael Phelps (who by the way is from my home town of Baltimore) is one who was persistent, he never quit, and he never gave in.

That is the quality we see in the woman in today’s gospel. She knows what she wants and she knows who can help her. With ferocity like a dog going after a bone she keeps going after Jesus until she gets what she wants. We need to take a closer look at this story to really understand just how persistent she was. The scene is set to make it clear that she was a Canaanite woman – why is this important. It shows that Jesus and she were enemies. Those from the land of Cana did not get along with the household of Israel. So, she pleads with Jesus to help her. Not really her but her daughter who was suffering greatly. What parent would not do whatever was in their power to get help for their sick child? She comes seeking help for her daughter and after she pleads with Jesus he does something that seems un-Christ-like, indeed un-God like. He turns a deaf ear. The God who we say hears the cry of the poor does not listen to the cry of this poor woman – initially.

This does not stop the woman. She’s like a stalker around Jesus and keeps crying out. She follows Jesus and his disciples and at every chance she continues to beg him to help. Eventually the apostles have had enough of her pestering; they have grown weary of her stalking Jesus. They tell Jesus to get rid of this woman, this stalker. Still it does not stop her from crying out. Finally Jesus continues his un-God like reaction by basically telling the woman he has no time for her. His mission is to the lost household of Israel and he doesn’t have time for her. But this persistent woman refuses to bend. In an almost mocking tone to Jesus basically saying his mercy cannot be wasted on the dogs, the outsiders she continues her onslaught. “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” (Matthew 15:27) She tells Jesus that even though he might not have come for her, she still demands some of his love, mercy, forgiveness.

Jesus then does something remarkable – he changes his mind. God listens to the persistent clamoring of this woman and eventually gives her what she requests. This is the persistence of prayer. The lesson for us 2, 000 years later is the same. Often we pray to God asking him to help us. If we don’t get the answer immediately we give up. I prayed one day to God, he should hear me and he should answer me now. Like the Canaanite woman we have to be men and women who never give up. We have to be people who continue to storm heaven with our prayers. Not just one day but every day. Now we have to realize that God will now always grant exactly what we ask for. Many of us have prayed for healing for a friend, a spouse, a child. If the healing does not come that does not mean that the Lord ignored us; perhaps the answer to our plea is the grace, the strength we need to carry whatever cross we have been given.

We need to be men and women who have a goal in mind and follow through with it. We need to be people who preserve no matter what happens. The woman in the Gospel was on a mission and she was rewarded. When I was in the eighth grade I began to consider the priesthood. When I was all set to apply I needed to get a letter of recommendation from one of my teachers. I went to my homeroom teacher, Sr. Patricia, and told her of my intention and asked if she would write a letter of recommendation for me. She said no. She told me that I lacked what it took to become a priest, that I was a little too wild for the seminarian. Well, I could have given up at that moment but I approached another teacher who gladly gave me the letter of recommendation. End of the story is that St. Patricia was at my ordination and First Mass and said she didn’t remember the story the way I did. However, it shows that we must never give up in trying to do the right thing. The woman in today’s gospel shows us we must never stop praying because our persistence might just change the Lord’s mind.

There is another aspect of today’s Gospel that we must not lose sight of. Initially Jesus says he had come for the lost household of Israel. In granting the Canaanite woman’s request it shows that God’s mercy and love are for all people. There are no divisions when it comes to God’s love. All are welcomed at the table of the Lord; all are his sons and daughters. At times we might wonder about whether someone is qualified to be part of our worshipping community. Jesus’ actions today tell us that we need to accept whoever comes to us. There is no young and no old; there is no white or black or brown; there is no male or female. The love, forgiveness and mercy of our God knows no bounds; he does not play favorites. God does not say: you are my son but not you; you are my daughter but not you. He initially thought his mission was just to the house of Israel; this Gospel shows how his mission is to the entire human family.

So, today we must be people of persistence. Never give up, never stop asking for what you need and never stop living out your goal in life; regardless of what others say. Sometimes we may feel as if God is not listening to us, that’s when you keep praying. Sometimes we might not want to see all as my brothers and sister, that’s when we remember the way Jesus treated others – with love and mercy regardless of who they were. That’s the God I believe in and that’s the God who will always hear the cry of his children. AMEN!