Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
A Canaanite woman, a foreigner for the Jews, asks Jesus to heal her daughter who was “terribly troubled by a demon.” This is a beautiful request because it is not for herself, but for her beloved daughter, which is why it’s a little confusing for us to understand why the Lord initially resisted her request, and the disciples just wanted her sent away. There is no denying the trial and testing that Jesus puts the woman through, but perhaps Jesus knew her heart and knew that she would be persistent in her request.
We have all probably felt that God isn’t hearing our prayers and is testing our resolve. Could there be something deeper going on that we cannot always see?
A priest friend of mine worked in a Hispanic parish for three years after ordination. He received a new assignment to another parish where he did not have the opportunity to celebrate Mass or minister in Spanish. He noticed that he began losing his ability to speak Spanish with the same ease and comfort he had before. If you don’t use it, you lose it.
We tend to see spiritual trials as a bad thing, but some of the most faithful people I know are ones who have arguably suffered the greatest in their lives. When they encountered difficulties and resistance, they prayed fervently and relied more on God. The Canaanite woman’s insistence in petitioning Jesus for help is an encouragement for all of us never to lose heart and not to despair, even in the harshest trials of life. Pope Benedict reflected, “The Lord does not close his eyes to the needs of his children, and if he seems at times insensitive to their requests, it is only in order to test them and to temper their faith.”
What can initially seem like silence or unresponsiveness from God in prayer, is the time to rely more on our faith and entrust ourselves more completely to God. If you consider the difficulties in the world today, now is not a time to turn away from God, but to persevere, make an act of reverence to God, and cry out: “Lord, help me.”
Reflection Question: The Canaanite woman interceded for her daughter. Whom do I need to bring to Jesus asking for healing?
Reflection by Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources