Are you open to
the Other in your midst?
So much in our
world today pushes us to isolate ourselves from the Other – from the
marginalized, from the foreigner, from those who are not like us and therefore somehow
suspect. Moreover, this was as true in
the ancient world as it is today, so much so that in the Book of Isaiah, the
Lord has to remind the Israelites that all
peoples – Jews as well as foreigners
– will be welcome in the temple so long as they hold to God’s covenant. Psalm 67 reminds us that God knows no
boundaries or borders: O God, let all the nations praise you
because you rule the peoples in equity. Later, Paul will remind the Romans that Jesus
came to redeem all humanity, and Paul
himself has become apostle to the
Gentiles, anticipating God’s mercy
upon all.
It’s odd, then, to
read Matthew’s account of Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman. Jesus himself has chosen to enter Gentile
territory, withdrawing to the region of
Tyre and Sidon, yet he remains silent when a Canaanite woman of that district approaches him, requesting
healing for her daughter who is tormented
by a demon. Jesus’ first response is almost shocking in its exclusivity: I was
sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; when she persists, his
second answer is frankly insulting: It is not right to take the food of children
and throw it to the dogs. Does Jesus really mean to put up barriers between
him and certain populations? All of our
readings point to the contrary: this
encounter may well be an opportunity for Jesus both to test the woman’s faith
and humility and to teach his disciples an important lesson. The woman is clearly a woman of faith; Jesus’
challenging remarks only make her own her faith all the more, and her trust
that God will provide overrides any insults he might bestow upon her. O
woman, great is your faith! Jesus proclaims finally, healing her daughter
in that instant, accepting her and her mother into the kingdom.
God’s mercy is indeed for all!
If we are to respond to the call of Jesus, a call Paul deems irrevocable, we too need to be open to
all, to the Other, to the marginalized, to the foreigner – revealing the love
of God to all so that his way may be known
upon all the earth.
This post was
based on Fr. Pat’s 2014 homily.
Image source: Wordle
No comments:
Post a Comment