The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
I have often struggled with believing that I am loved by God. During a particularly difficult time in my life, I remember hearing a friend describe her relationship with the Lord like a favored child being showered with gifts; meanwhile I felt like a scorned daughter. In that time, this chapter of Matthew used to really trouble me: the Canaanite woman cries out for mercy and is ignored. When she cries out again, Jesus likens her to a dog begging for food. How often have I been the Canaanite woman, having watched the Lord work miracles, yet when I cry out for mercy I feel like I am ignored? Not just ignored — He basically says, “This good thing was not meant for you.”
The Apostles believed Christ was their Savior, but had yet to realize that He had come for all. They did not yet understand the depths of His mercy. The Canaanite woman responds with humility — acknowledging her smallness, she asks for “scraps from the master’s table,” showing a faith greater than Jesus’ Apostles had realized.
Jesus loved this Canaanite woman. The moment He heard her voice, He knew her heart and her great faith. His disciples thought she was worthless and thought Jesus would also feel this way. Instead, this woman’s trust became a moment of deeper conversion for all who witnessed it. Isaiah 54:4 says, “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.” The Canaanite woman did not doubt Jesus for a moment, even when he seemingly ignored her plea. She was not afraid, and her humble trust is a consolation to me in the times that I feel unloved or unseen by God. Jesus looks at her with such love, and this gives me the courage to pray:
Lord, I know You are good. Though there are so many things going on right now that tempt me to believe otherwise, I trust in You. I trust You make all things work together for my good and the good of others.