Matthew 15:21-28
Sometimes God Tests our Faith by
Rev. Jack Peterson
Reprinted with permission of "The Arlington
Catholic Herald"
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Matthew wrote to show that Christ
was the
Messiah and fulfilled the Jewish prophecies.
Then Jesus went from
that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a
Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord,
Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not
say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, "Send her
away, for she keeps calling out after us." He said in reply, "I was sent
only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and did
him homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to
take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said,
"Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of
their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your
faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was
healed from that hour.'
Jesus
is uncharacteristically tough on the Canaanite woman in this week's Gospel
passage from Matthew. Usually, when someone comes to the Lord with a
request and a hint of faith, He is pretty quick to acknowledge their faith and
offer a gift of healing and new life. This woman faces a test.
Jesus
withdraws to the region of Tyre and Sidon where a woman approaches and calls
out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a
demon."
At
first, Jesus simply ignores her and does not respond. That is the first
test. His disciples even try to send her away, but she perseveres in her
quest.
Next,
Jesus responds with, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
This would have been taken as a rebuff because she was a Canaanite, therefore a
foreigner, a Gentile. But the woman refuses to give up. She
approaches Jesus again, does him homage and says, "Lord, help me."
A
third time, Jesus snubs her: "It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs." Yet, her faith in Jesus remains strong, and she
seems OK with the idea of simply having what is given to the family pet:
"Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of
their masters." In the end, all nourishment, even for the dogs, comes from
the master. She will take what she can get.
Jesus
deals with each of us individually, according to our needs at the present
moment. In this encounter, Jesus, motivated by His wisdom and charity,
chooses to test the Canaanite woman's faith, which turns out to be quite
impressive. She responds with a faith marked by humility and perseverance,
even in the face of a series of apparent rebuffs.
The
truth is that God is not afraid to test our faith and our love for Him. It
is important to realize that the test flows from His love for us. God
tests our faith sometimes for our good and the good of others. The test
makes our faith real and personal. Love is not truly love until it has
been tested in fire. Faith is not really faith until it has been tested as
well. The test purifies our faith of selfishness and pride; it deepens our
radical trust in His goodness and divine providence. The test prepares us
for other crosses that we will face down the road in our roles as believer,
parent, priest/consecrated or lay leader.
We
see Jesus testing the faith of others in the Gospels as well. He tests
Jairius, the Synagogue leader, when he pauses on the way to his house to cure
his sickly daughter in order to heal and bring new life to the woman afflicted
with hemorrhages. While he heals this woman, Jairus' daughter dies in the
end. Jesus goes to his house and raises her from the dead, but the news of
her death must have been quite the test of Jairus' faith. We also see
Jesus testing the faith of the rich young man when He says to him, "If you would
be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow me,"
St.
Paul, who knew a thing or two about being tested, teaches us something that is
very comforting about God's work in our lives. St. Paul reminds us that
God never tests us beyond our ability. In his first letter to the
Corinthians, Paul states: "God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted
beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of
escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Cor 10:13) Sometimes it is
only by God's grace that we can endure certain trials and crosses. sometimes it
seems like we can't hang on any more, especially if we rely only on our own
powers, and we are tempted to give up. We should take courage in the
knowledge that God will always provide. He will always offer us the grace
needed to "endure it."
Let
us pray: Jesus, open my heart this day to the height and depth and breadth of
your mercy and love. Stir into flame the great gift of faith that you have
already given to me. When life gets really difficult and my faith is
tested, give me confidence in the infinite power of your grace. May I
trust in You no matter how difficult the test is. In the end, may I be
graced to hear You respond: "O woman/man, great is your faith! Let it be
done for you as you wish."
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