The prophet Isaiah provides the all-important “context” we need for Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 15, 21-28): “…the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to Him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be His servants,…these I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Springing up from this and the exchange between Jesus and the Canaanite woman, there are a number of lessons we can learn. For example, there is a need for total trust and confidence that Jesus really does care for us, in spite of indications to the contrary. There is also the need for us to persist in prayer. We must realize that this does not always result in getting what we have asked for, but it helps us to see more clearly what God wants for us and what really is the best for us. What we need most is not the carrying out of our own wishes, but having the peace and security that can only come from being in total harmony with (and trusting completely in) God.
Today’s Mass and especially the Gospel serve as an affirmation that God’s love and mercy are, indeed, extended to all who call on God in faith and trust, no matter who we are or where we are. As both Baptized and church-going people, we have been given special privileges of knowledge and access to God’s love – but we also have serious responsibilities arising from this. One of these responsibilities is to make clear to others (by the way we live, speak, and act) that God’s love, mercy, and healing are for them also.
Something worth pondering this week: In God’s eyes, there are no “dogs.” And the food on the Master’s table, the Lord’s Word and His Love – not just the crumbs – is for all, without exception.
