'LORD, THAT I MAY SEE.'
A SHORT COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY ACCORDING TO THE CATHOLIC LECTIONARY.
Gospel
Mark 7:24-30
The astuteness of the Syro-Phoenician woman
1.
Jesus left
Gennesaret and set out for the territory of Tyre.
2.
There he went into
a house and did not want anyone to know he was there,
3.
but he could not
pass unrecognised.
4.
A woman whose
little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him straightaway and came and
fell at his feet.
5.
Now the woman was
a pagan, by birth a Syrophoenician,
6.
and she begged him
to cast the devil out of her daughter.
7.
And he said to
her, ‘The children should be fed first,
8.
because it is not
fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’
9.
But she spoke up:
‘Ah yes, sir,’ she replied ‘but the house-dogs under the table can eat the
children’s scraps.’
10. And he said to her, ‘For saying this,
you may go home happy:
11. the devil has gone out of your
daughter.’
12. So she went off to her home
13. and found the child lying on the bed
14. and the devil gone.
The woman comes to
Jesus in desperate need. There is no way in which her daughter can be liberated
from this evil spirit. It is destroying her. She has heard of Jesus and knows
that he can do this.
Though Jesus wants
to be incognito, she approaches him even in the house. She falls at his feet. Jesus
for a reason known to himself refuses at first, but she insists. She has understood
the character of Jesus. She understands his kindness and his desire to help. She
knows that if she persists, he will do it.
Her faith is bold
and she will not take ‘no’ for an answer. Her persistent faith wins liberation
for her daughter.
We must never forget
that if we pray like her, Jesus will always do what is best for us. He lives to
do what is best for us and will always answer such persistent and
trusting prayer.
Let us approach Jesus
with trust and be bold in our faith. He will act according to our boldness.
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