SILENCE IS GOLDEN
I believe that God listens to us and answers our prayers in his time. However, every time I read today’s Gospel, I am surprised by the words “But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her” and when he does answer her, he says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” which implies that he was sent to only save the Jewish people. It does leave me feeling abandoned but then there is a happy end to this encounter.
Jesus’s infinite wisdom is displayed through his silence. In Proverbs 18:2 we read that “A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.’ By remaining silent, Jesus did two things, he wanted to understand the woman’s plight and allow her to practically show what it means to have faith not only as a lesson to those present but to us as well. Here we have a Gentile woman pleading to a Jewish man, whom she acknowledges as the Son of David, to heal her daughter. She had total trust in Jesus.
If you are reading this newsletter, it means that you have some connection with God. You probably attend Mass and pray on a regular basis. Very often you will find that God does not answer your prayers and probably feel that God is silent. This silence is God’s way of drawing us closer to him and in so doing strengthen our faith and relationship with him. Pope Francis reminds us that the best medicine for a weary soul is prayer, and the actions of the Canaanite woman are a great example of how we can pray.
She does four things in her interaction with Jesus –
- She acknowledges who Jesus is – “the Son of David”?
- She keeps it simple – “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
- She perseveres – Despite Jesus remaining silent and then implying that helping her would be depriving the people he was sent to help; she persevered and showed her unwavering faith.
- She was humble – even in the face of what sounds like an insult – she acts with humility before Jesus and is rewarded with her daughter being healed.
So, while you could be left feeling disillusioned by Jesus’ actions in today’s Gospel, there is hope as we are reminded in Paul’s letter to the Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.”
God bless and have a wonderful week ahead.
Clint Ramoo – Finance Chair
