The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
There are some Gospel passages that make me uncomfortable.
This is one of them.
A desperate mother begs Jesus to heal her daughter. And instead of the response we expect...Jesus is silent.
If you've ever felt unsettled by this story, you're not alone. I have too.
The woman is a Canaanite, someone outside of Israel. She has every reason to believe this miracle isn't meant for her. But she comes anyway. She isn't demanding or entitled. She's simply convinced that Jesus is who He says He is.
When all she has left to say is, "Lord, help me," I'm struck by how simple that prayer is. No polished words. No perfect theology. Just trust.
Then comes the line that changes everything:
"Even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters' table."
She's not asking for leftovers. She's expressing a confidence that even the smallest taste of God's mercy is enough to change everything.
Jesus responds, "O woman, great is your faith!"
Her persistence reveals what God had promised all along. As Isaiah prophesied in the first reading, His house would become "a house of prayer for all peoples." God's mercy was never meant for just one nation: it was always meant for the whole world.
I don't know about you, but my instinct is to interpret God's silence as God's absence. If I don't get an answer quickly, I start wondering if He's listening at all.
But this woman refuses to let silence have the final word.
Maybe that's the invitation for us this Sunday.
Some of us have been praying the same prayer for months. Maybe years. We long for healing, clarity, reconciliation, or peace, and all we seem to hear is silence.
Today's Gospel reminds us that faith isn't measured by how quickly God answers. It's measured by whether we continue to trust the One we're asking.
The Canaanite woman believed Jesus was good before she ever saw the miracle.
That's the kind of faith I want.
A faith that keeps showing up.
A faith that refuses to let silence have the final word.
Chenele Shaw is a Catholic speaker, writer, and former diocesan director of youth ministry. She is the co-founder of the Before Gethsemane Initiative, which focuses on education, healing, and accompaniment around racial justice in the Church. Chenele has served young people and leaders through parish, diocesan, and national ministry, and now writes and speaks at the intersection of faith, honesty, and belonging. Connect with her at cheneleshaw.com and on Instagram.
