Perseverance

Again we have the gospel from Matthew about the Canaanite women who approaches Jesus regarding her daughter who is tormented by demons. No matter how many times I read this gospel or hear an explanation of it, I always think that Jesus is being harsh. Couldn’t he have found a gentler way to encourage this woman to have more faith? To be persistent in her prayer?

In his homily today, Fr. Jason states that, “The main point of this account of the Canaanite woman is that all people are called to have stronger faith and all are fed by God’s hand. Whether one is Gentile or Jew; rich or poor. All are fed. “

He goes on to say in his homily, “Maybe we are being challenged in our prayer to change an aspect of our lives. Perhaps we are wrestling with some truth of the Church and the Lord keeps challenging us in it. During these times the Lord is trying to bolster our faith. He does both out of love.” This is where I find myself, being called to change an aspect of my life. The Lord has been patient with me, giving me time to understand where this situation came from, to see that it was part of my healing. But now I am being challenged to let it go. I have gotten comfortable with it, and it has become a crutch that the Lord wants me to toss aside. So I pray for strength and cry out for His help when I begin to feel defeated. And I remind myself that it is out of His love for me that I am facing this challenge. He wants me to be all that I was created to be.

“Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)