20th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

"Woman, you have great faith! Your wish will come to pass."

Lectionary Readings of 20th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/20th-sunday-a.html

In life, there will be many times when we will encounter problems and difficulties. We do not know what it is that will befall us for we are all under the mercy of God. It may be sickness, an early death, loss of a family member, bankruptcy, loss of a job, war, famine, economic disasters, or anything that will truly test our faith. Whenever we do so, it is good to follow the example and witness of the Canaanite woman here in the gospel for this Sunday. Her daughter is plagued with a demon and she wanted Jesus to cure and heal her daughter. Jesus' reply was: that He was only called to the House of Israel (excluding Canaanites). But the Canaanite woman knew and with faith that like the dogs that are under their master's tables, these dogs are able to eat the morsels and bits of food that fall from their master's tables. Therefore, this Canaanite woman, even though she knew that the Jewish society of that time was discriminating her, she knew with great faith that Jesus can heal her daughter. And because Jesus was amazed by such a great faith, Jesus granted her request.

Whenever we are burdened with trials and difficulties, how easy it is for us to be tempted and to give up. We often are sapped of our energy and our enthusiasm when times become hard and it is so difficult to earn a living, to get people's support, to serve a family, to keep a marriage, to gain job security, to make the business survive, to lead a parish or a mission, to fix a very difficult moral situation, etc. All these situations and many more will truly test our faith in Christ. We are therefore called to be inspired by the Canaanite woman, who despite the fact that she was powerless to ask for help in a very Jewish setting that discriminates their ethnic group, she continued on and pleaded for help from God in Christ Jesus. Perhaps, when we are indeed in dire straits for our situation or the situation of members of our family, we are called to express great faith in God and to cling totally to Him and know deep down in our heart that even though we are sinners, He is good and will always be faithful in His kindness and mercy to us.

Whatever be our situation now, let us not lose heart when things become very difficult and situations bring so much pain and hardship, but let us be called to be inspired by the example of the Canaanite woman: her faith teaches us that God answers the prayers of all - especially the least and the little people.