20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 14, 2011 (Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Rom.

11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28) In last weeks Gospel, the disciples were alone in the boat at night and when Jesus came walking across the sea toward them they cried out in their fear. When Peter later decided to follow Jesus on top of the water he began to sink and he too cried out in his fear. Jesus then said to him O you of little faith, why did you doubt? In todays Gospel the Canaanite woman also cried out, while she sought help from Jesus for her demon-possessed daughter. In every instance the same Greek word is used (krazein). The disciples ask Jesus to silence her crying out presumably because her cries are an embarrassment to them. But the woman will not be refused and she asks Jesus, like Peter had, Lord help me. After Jesus dialogue with the woman about eating scraps from the table Jesus says to the woman, O woman, great is your faith! Jesus had never said that to Peter or the other disciples in the entire Gospel. The expression you of little faith only occurs four times in Matthew and once in Luke and in every instance it applies to the disciples. In contrast only this gentile woman, who was considered unclean by all Jews, is said to have great faith and it is for her daughter, not herself, that she makes the appeal in the first place. In the Gospel this incident follows an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees about the traditions of the elders, especially regarding what defiles. Jesus said it is not what goes into the mouth but what comes out of the mouth that defiles. Here, in Sundays Gospel, what comes out of this unclean womans mouth is great faith. She becomes a shining example of faith in contrast with his disciples who have been with him so long but who remain of little faith. Jesus immediate response to the disciples when they ask him to send her away is that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. After Jesus speaks with this woman, clearly that mission is going to have to spread. Jesus tells the disciples at the end of the Gospel to go to all the nations. By responding to her great faith here Jesus himself begins to expand his mission. This incident teaches us a number of things about reading the Gospels. We must always relate what were reading with what has become and what will come after. The Gospels are cleverly written and carefully worded documents. It is not by chance that this outsider is praised so highly, because it will pave the way for the later mission to the Gentiles. The weak male disciples crying out and fearful present quite a contrast to this lone Gentile lady, who refuses to take no for an answer and her great faith is

rewarded. It is a lesson to the church of Matthews Gospel not to take familiarity with Jesus for granted. He had already warned them that not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom, but only the one who does the will of the heavenly Father (Mt.7:21). This woman should be an inspiration to all those who have felt alienated from Jesus in the Church over the years. The divorced and remarried come to mind. This woman of faith is an example not to give up. Shes a model disciple. Many others have been silenced by some who are overeager to silence those who keeping calling out after us. They should be heard. Fr. Lawrence Hummer