20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 15:21-28

 

I was fortunate to be born into a loving family that included many loving aunts and uncles.  Among my aunts was Aunt Mimi who was married to my father's brother, my Uncle Louie.  (I think every Italian-American kid in my generation had an Uncle Louie.)  Aunt Mimi was the most gentle and loving person I ever met in my life, and that is not an overstatement. Throughout my entire life I never heard Aunt Mimi ever raise her voice, or speak out in anger, or reject a person in need.  The love, compassion and empathy that Aunt Mimi and Uncle Louie had in their hearts extended far beyond family and friends. They particularly extended themselves to those who suffered, were victims of injustice, who were marginalized

Imagine my horror, therefore, when I was seven years old and preparing for First Holy Communion (pre-Vatican II) when I was told in school that my Aunt Mimi could never enter heaven!  Why?  Because she was a Jew.

What?  The person who most embodied to me the true gospel values that I was being taught?  She couldn't get to heaven?  How can that be?  I literally cried.

When I read about this Canaanite woman being rejected when begging for help for her afflicted daughter I cannot help but to think of Aunt Mimi.  Ironically, this anonymous woman is rejected because she is NOT a Jew.  Even Jesus tells her that he was not sent to help her kind.  She loves her daughter who is suffering and she is told "no"?  How can that be?

How often in this life do we reject others - despite their great need - because they are simply the "other."?  How many mothers throughout the world, in this day and age, who also beg for help for their children hear "You're not one of us."

This Canaanite woman knew that Jesus was the ONLY one who could save her daughter, and she did everything - including giving up her own dignity and calling herself a "dog" so that her daughter could be saved.  Another irony:  last week we heard Jesus tell Peter - the leader of the disciples - that he had little faith.  Here, this anonymous woman who is not even Jewish is told she has great faith.

A person's so-called "worthiness" does not matter to God.  Faith and trust is what matters.

This Canaanite woman's willingness to debase herself out of love for her daughter foreshadowed Jesus' sacrifice when he was tried, convicted and punished as a criminal, physically tortured, stripped of his dignity and defiled all because of his love for us.  He suffered the greatest of indignities so that we could be rid of OUR demons, our sins and be saved.

Are we not called to do the same?  Are we not called to reach out to those that are called "unworthy" in this world and bring God's healing to them in any way we can?

I am grateful that I had Aunt Mimi in my life.  I am even more grateful to have Jesus in my life.  I can only pray that my faith could also become "great" in my times of greatest need.  Yet, I need to pray even more that I recognize the great faith in others in need and respond according to His will.

 

"Call me Ishmael"

 

Grab on to God

In this week’s Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus walks on water. The story goes: Jesus told the disciples to wait in the boat while he went alone to pray. While he was still up on the mountain praying, the boat had drifted far from shore, battered by waves because of the wind. Then, in the early hours before dawn, the disciples notice Jesus approaching on foot. Terrified, thinking he’s a ghost, Jesus calls out to them, “Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid.” As he walks on water, Peter asks Jesus to command him to walk on it too. Jesus says “come.” Peter starts walking, but as the wind picks up he gets scared and begins to sink. He calls out for Jesus to save him, and that’s exactly what Jesus does. He stretches out his hand and says, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Haven’t we all felt a little like Peter? Full of faith, ready to do what the Lord commands, and then it all goes south. Faith is such an important part of this journey that we need to examine what it actually means to have it. In my opinion, faith isn’t something you question. Faith is knowing with certainty. Faith in the Lord doesn’t come with a question mark. As Christians, we simply know. We know the way. We know the light. We know the truth. To question is to have no faith. It’s almost like the saying, “you can’t get a little pregnant.” As Christians, we know the Lord is our Savior. If he commands us to do a thing, we do the thing.

Still, like Peter, we fall short. We get a little scared. We fall in the water and panic. Life, like the wind with Peter, can throw you off course. You will have adversity and challenges. You will have moments when your life doesn’t even feel like your life anymore. It’s specifically in those moments when you need to grab the hand of the Lord. The hand I’m talking about is the word of God. We can pray, read the Bible, attend Mass, and do whatever it is that brings us back into relationship with the Lord. When the relationship is solid, so is your faith. You know there isn’t a place you can go where the Lord isn’t present.

That’s the part we forget when we’re sinking: Peter didn’t need a better plan, he needed to reach out. So this week, when the wind picks up, don’t waste time treading water on your own strength. Reach for the hand that’s already stretched out toward you. Pray a little more. Open the Word a little more. Show up a little more.  Let me be the first to tell you that I struggle with my faith sometimes.  I lose sight for a little but with the help of my brothers and the Lord I find my way back.  I know that we are tested in accordance with our faith. So when it gets rough on the water remember that Faith isn’t built in the calm water, it’s built in the moment you choose to reach out and grab on to God instead of panic.