20th Sunday of the Year

An old but familiar saying goes this way: “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again,” in local parlance, TH (Trying Hard).

 

This is what happened to the Canaanite women in today’s gospel. She tried and tried again, begging the Lord, pestering the Lord to cure her daughter to the point that the Lord Himself tried to ignore her, then rebuffed her and finally even insulted her by calling her like a housedogs by saying: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs,” (v. 16). But she turned the table on Jesus by answering Him like this: “…but even the housedogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.”

 

May be it is good to include in this sharing of mine that commentary made by William Barclay on this passage. He said that there are certain things about this woman which we must note:

 

First and foremost, this woman had love. In this sense she made the misery of her child her own. She is a pagan but in her heart there was that love for her child which is always the reflection of God’s love for His children. It was love that made her approached Jesus, accepted His silence and still appeal to Him. It was love that drove her to come near to Jesus.

 

Second, the woman had faith. She called Jesus as Son of David. It is a political title and yet full of meaning. A faith started to grow in her in which she looked at Jesus as a great and powerful wonder worker. Even though she came to Jesus like a magician but she ended up calling Him, ‘Lord.’

 

Third, this woman had indomitable persistence. She was undiscourageable. So many people, it has said, pray really because they do not wish to miss a chance. This woman came to Jesus because Jesus was not just a possible helper; He was her only hope. She came with a passionate hope, a clamant sense of need and a refusal to be discouraged. For her, prayer was no ritual form but an outpouring of the passionate desire of her soul which somehow felt that she could not and must not and need not take no for an answer.

 

Lastly, this woman had a gift of cheerfulness. She was in the midst of trouble; she was passionately in earnest and yet she could smile. You know God loves the cheerful faith, the faith in whose eyes there is always the light of hope, the faith with a smile which can light the gloom.

 

I hope that we own these things present in this woman so that we may continue to live in spite of the conflicts we encounter in the future. Let us make this woman as our inspiration.

 

A priest had said that those who are used to ride in a car wherever they go; a 100-meter walk is very far for them. But those who are used to walk a 20-kilometer, to ride even in an animal-drawn vehicle or a caleza are enough for them. Those who are well fed are choosy about what they are going to eat, fussing and complaining about what is placed on the table. But those who are hungry appreciate anything and everything that comes in their way even those remains which are for dog already and spoiled.

 

It is like the picture I saw in a newspaper headlines (Phil. Daily Inquirer – 07/11/2002) entitled Scavengers Summit where children along the Manila Bay seawall feasted on the scraps and debris washed ashore by the stormy sea caused by the typhoon Gloria.

 

That is what is happening to a Canaanite woman in today’s gospel. She did not mind the silent treatment which would have discouraged most people: the rejection, the insult and the resistance from Jesus’ disciples and even Jesus Himself because of her great need. Like for example, at first her cry for mercy was simply snubbed by Jesus. Then the annoyed disciples tried to get rid of her. Finally, Jesus addressed her contemptuously as a dog. But she did not surrender due to her persistence and Jesus admired her so much for that.

 

But let us look so much at how His disciples treated the woman. It showed that the Jews had a conflict with pagans which they considered as no good and what they have is only evil. Let us talk about conflict.

 

According to Jose P. Leveriza and I quote: “There is conflict on any organization. However, it doesn’t just happen. Because of their relationship, people create it through their action. According to Edwin P. Flippo: “Conflict occurs when two or more people or groups perceive that they have incompatibility of goals and independence of activity.

 

Lastly, according also to Mervin Kohn, as quoted by Leveriza: “There are four types of conflict. The first is issue conflict which usually is disagreement between two or more groups arising from differences in viewpoint. The second type of conflict is interpersonal. This conflict is between two individuals based on personal differences.  It may originate as an issue conflict and develop into a personality clash. A third type if conflict is role conflict. This occurs when an individual faces pressures from several sources… A fourth type of conflict is intra-personal. In this situation, an individual values and beliefs are incompatible with his actions…”

 

If we apply into our lives what had happened to the Canaanite woman, we become discourage and immediately, all of a sudden, we give up. This is what Jesus does not want us to do, but rather, to have a strong, firm and persistent type of faith in Him.

 

According to Ramon J. Aldag and Arthur P. Brief, this is what we are going to do: focus on defeating the mutual problem rather than on each other. Try not to personalize the conflict; seek facts to resolve points of disagreements. Don’t make decisions based on pure speculations.

 

Our Christian community is not built on conflicts and condemnation but on healing, reconciliation and forgiveness.