Reflection for Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020912.cfm



There are two things we can learn from the Syrophoenician woman in today's Gospel.


First, humility.  When Jesus referred to her as a "dog", a title used by Jews for Gentiles or non-Jews to indicate their sinful impurity, she was not angered.  She had no ego, and so she knew there was truthfulness to the title, that is, she knew she was a sinner.  We, too, have sinful impurity in our lives and do not, strictly speaking, deserve a thing from the Lord.  The woman was not offended by such a truth.  Neither should we be.


Second, faith.  Because the woman believed that Jesus was good and loving, she knew he was not using the title "dog" in a critical or derogatory way.  In fact, I wonder if Jesus had a playful smirk on his face when he used the title as a way to indicate that he did not mean it in the negative way his fellow Jews meant it.  While there was truthfulness to the title, the Jews used it in a prideful way in that they forgot their own sinfulness and looked down on the Gentiles.  The woman knew Jesus was testing her faith by playing hard to get, so she was not discouraged.  She believed Jesus would grant her request, even though she was not Jewish.  May we continue to believe in the love Jesus has for us and that he will not withhold any good thing from us, even when he plays hard to get.