The Gospel according to Mark (7:24-30)
Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
Reflection:
Most if not all of us have a desire or passion for something. For some it is sports, others clothing or tech gadgets, or maybe a TV series, favorite movies, musical group, or any of a number of other things. Some would spend days in line to buy tickets to a sporting event or concert. Raising the bar, some have that same drive or desire for relationships. Many of us have special relationships that occupy much of our time and energy. We spend countless hours catering to the needs or desires of a spouse, child, or other loved ones. We can even invest a lifetime in the pursuit of these relationships.
How much time, energy, and effort do we put into the pursuit of our faith life? Would we stay in line overnight to attend mass and receive the Holy Eucharist? Would we walk many miles, endure hardships, and make sacrifices in order to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation? In other words, how committed are we to our relationship with Jesus who gave up everything for our sake?
Today’s gospel often presents us with the challenge of trying to understand Jesus’ choice of words when the Greek woman approaches him and begs him to save her daughter. I would encourage you to do a little research to help clarify and give some context to this encounter. What I can tell you is that this passage is all about faith. The concerned mother did not expect Jesus to go to her daughter. She was willing to take whatever he would offer because she believed in his power to heal. And she was willing to subject herself (an outsider) to whatever was necessary for the sake of her daughter.
Her faith and trust in Jesus and her devotion to her daughter are an example for the most devout Christian. We all sometimes struggle with our faith. What are we willing to do to confront this struggle for the sake of our faith? Does our faith attract the attention of our Lord who wants to free us from the burden of sin and heal our wounds and of those we love. We all have room for improvement.
Action of the day:
Where is our faith faltering? Where do we need to persist so our faith in the healing, compassionate love of Christ can continue to transform us? Pray for the clarity to identify that place and the courage to pursue our faith with reckless abandon.
