Canaanite Woman 2024

Often, very often, I'll ask any one of you how

you're doing. And very often I'll hear back the

response, I'm struggling. That's a good thing

to say to a priest. And what do I usually say

back to you? That's good. That's good that you're

struggling. Because in our life, If we stop struggling,

there are probably two reasons. One is we might

be dead. The other is we've given up. What are

you struggling, I'll say? What are you struggling

with? Oh, it might be a situation at home, difficult

family situation, an illness of a relative or

your own illness, difficulty at work, a financial

problem. a spiritually deep, deep problem, struggling

with a passion of some sort, any of these things

it could be. The struggle is where we find Christ

helping us. It's in that struggle. That's where

we find the joy, that he comes into that and

we enter into him. The story that we heard today,

seven short verses from the 15th chapter of the

Gospel of St. Matthew, is about this woman of

Canaan. Read Joshua to see what the Canaanites

are all about. Jesus has left Judean territory

earlier in the Gospel, just a few verses earlier.

He's had an encounter, per usual. with the religious

authorities, the Pharisees, who are nitpicking

at the disciples, criticizing, judging them,

demeaning them. And Jesus speaks to the Pharisees,

and the disciples come to him and say, Master,

you know, they think you insulted them. And Jesus

says, they're blind guides, let the blind lead

the blind. Whatever God plants that's of God,

it will grow. Whatever he didn't plant, it's

going to be plucked up and thrown away. And of

course, they don't understand what he's talking

about. So he leaves that whole territory for

some rest. And for an encounter with a Gentile.

Far north, maybe somewhere around present -day

Lebanon. we meet a remarkable pagan woman. Clement

of Rome, writing in about the 100s, 96 AD or

so, tells us her name. It's Justa. And her daughter

is Veroniki, 96 AD. The chances are quite good

we can presume that this daughter was still living

at the time. The Clement. Wrote his letter, his

epistle. And this Veronika is demon -possessed.

Justa is a pagan, not a Jew. She's at the end

of her endurance. She is struggling mightily.

She cries out from the depths of her heart because

her soul, her heart was consumed with pain for

her possessed daughter. She has identified herself

with her daughter as a mother so completely.

She considers the healing of her daughter as

mercy towards her own self. Like, I can't take

this anymore. She says, have mercy on me. She

didn't say have mercy on my daughter. Have mercy

on me. This is beyond me. I'm torn apart. No

one but you, Lord. No one can help me. Have mercy,

O Lord. Son of David, she says. A Gentile calling

out the name of the Savior of the world. Jesus

has to go far north before he hears that. Because

it's not said in Israel very much. My daughter

is severely demon -possessed. When we are desperate,

when we are struggling, we think, I've heard

it said, And all of us say this too. Well, God

is my last hope. But shouldn't he be our first

hope? Our foremost hope. Put not your trust in

princes and the sons of men. We hear that in

the psalm. But he's our last hope. Fix it, Lord.

You must. You must. Almost as if God owes us

is the way we feel. Jesus remains silent. to

this woman. Doesn't say a word. We've also had

this experience with Jesus silent at our side.

Yes, sometimes he is silent, but he is with us.

The disciples think that Jesus is ignoring her,

but he's not. He's inviting her forward. So they

can hear how absolutely xenophobic they are because

she's not a Jew. Jesus is going to teach. I would

imagine those disciples thinking, well, not just

the daughter, but this woman has a demon. She's

bothering you, Lord. Send her away. She's bothering

us. She's driving us crazy. To them, she's just

an animal. She's not a person. They don't see

her. How many times have we walked down the street

in Santa Rosa as a homeless person? We don't

want to look in that person's face to acknowledge

that they are a person, not just a lump. That

they are also an image of God. Look at them,

brothers and sisters. Say good morning. Say good

afternoon. Say how are you? It doesn't cost you

a penny. But it makes that person not feel so

invisible and lost and hopeless. We are to be

Christ's bearers to the world. The disciples

hadn't learned that yet. They're learning it

right here in this gospel. Jesus is going to

teach them and us, and she will become the first.

among the Jews, among the first to be saved.

So a conversation then ensues. She falls down

before Christ. She worships him, her face to

the ground. Lord, help me. She's begging for

help. That's when the Lord replies with a very

curious response that probably bothers us a lot.

The children's bread, that is the children of

Israel. Should not be given to the dogs. Well,

he actually says puppies. But maybe you can imagine

the face of the Lord. Sweet face. Kind face.

And that sentence said, with love and inviting

her. With a twinkle in his eye. Yes, she sees

that. She understands that. We think about how

toddlers eat, and there's food all over the floor,

and then my cat or a dog comes and eats, but

this is not cute. Her face is on the ground.

And the apostles see she is demeaned and humbled.

But she understands what's going on. She offers

what she has, which is humility. Persistence

and patience. And one other thing, cleverness.

She wins the negotiation, if you will, with the

Lord Jesus Christ. Just like Jacob wrestling

with God. She wins. And what does he say? Something

you don't hear very often from Jesus. Oh woman,

great is your faith. Let it be unto you as you

desire. Great is your faith. You see, the thing

that matters here when we approach Jesus Christ

is humility, it's patience, it's persistence.

You can be clever too, but don't try it. You

won't be as clever as this wonderful woman. We

think. in times of desperation, in times of struggle,

desperate, terrible, terrible times when they

do come, and they will come, that we cannot find

the peace of God, but we can. We think instead,

God owes us. I'm entitled to something here from

you, Lord. Aren't I privileged before you? But

with humility, it's natural companion patience

and persistence today. we are challenged to acquire

those things for ourselves and learn how to approach

the Lord, not just for something we want or need

or are in desperation, but to have the zeal to

simply be with Christ, that we are lost without

him. And perseverance in prayer is hard work.

It doesn't come natural to us. Waiting for God,

being patient, is difficult work. Not getting

what we want right away is disappointing because,

of course, I can get anything I want today. I

can go to any number of stores. And if I can't

get it today, I'll get it tomorrow or the day

after through Amazon. We don't have patience.

But this woman is teaching us today. Acquire

it. We see her humility, and it's not weakness.

We see her on her face, saying those words, yes,

Lord, but even the puppies eat the crumbs that

fall from the master's table. God has chosen

the foolish things of this world, says St. Paul.

To put to shame the wise. God has chosen the

weak things of this world. To put to shame the

things that are mighty. And the base things of

the world. And the things which are despised.

God has chosen. That's us. And the things which

are not. To bring to nothing the things that

are. That no flesh should glory in his presence.

If you do not feel like praying or being patient

or persevering, listen to what St. Ambrose of

Optina says. He says, you have to force yourself.

The Holy Fathers say that prayer with force is

higher than prayer that comes easy. You don't

want to do it. You don't feel like getting up,

going to church. You don't feel like giving something

to the poor person. All these things are true.

We don't feel like fasting, but we do it because

the kingdom of God is taken by force, and those

bear it away. Elder Zechariah of Essex writes

in his little book, pre -Lenten book, he says

this, we know that in spite of the fact that

the things which are impossible with men are

possible with God, it still often happens that

when we entreat God with all the pain of our

heart, he does not deliver us from the hardships

that torment us. True wisdom is not to yield

to the spirit of the enemy and ask, why? But

to say, yes, Lord. It is good for me that thou

hast humbled me. Do thou thyself teach me thy

statutes? Then God makes known to us, as St.

Paul says in Ephesians, what is the immeasurable

greatness of his power toward us who believe,

according to the working of his great might,

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from

the dead and seated him at the right hand in

the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority

and power and dominion and above every name that

is named. It is he that will unite himself today

with you and me in the chalice. And he put all

things under his feet and gave him his head over

all things to the church, which is his body.

The fullness of him who fills all. He grants

grace, consolation, and power. which makes us

stronger than the temptations threatening our

life. May God bless us all with that grace, humility,

and patience. And receive from God what this

Canaanite woman received today. This gospel we

heard, this is the first in the, let us say,

signpost gospels, which prepare us for the coming.

of Lent in which we enter that great stadium.

I hear this is a sporting event today. That great

stadium of the virtues of Great Lent. We don't

want to be spectators. That's what happens today.

We're all spectators. We don't want to be second

string players in the stadium of the virtues

of Great Lent. We want to enter and contest lawfully.

Next week, Sunday of Zacchaeus. This week, meditate

on this woman and the Lord's encounter with her.

To our Lord be glory, now and ever, to ages of

ages. Amen.