Often, very often, I'll ask any one of you how
you're doing. And very often I'll hear back the
response, I'm struggling. That's a good thing
to say to a priest. And what do I usually say
back to you? That's good. That's good that you're
struggling. Because in our life, If we stop struggling,
there are probably two reasons. One is we might
be dead. The other is we've given up. What are
you struggling, I'll say? What are you struggling
with? Oh, it might be a situation at home, difficult
family situation, an illness of a relative or
your own illness, difficulty at work, a financial
problem. a spiritually deep, deep problem, struggling
with a passion of some sort, any of these things
it could be. The struggle is where we find Christ
helping us. It's in that struggle. That's where
we find the joy, that he comes into that and
we enter into him. The story that we heard today,
seven short verses from the 15th chapter of the
Gospel of St. Matthew, is about this woman of
Canaan. Read Joshua to see what the Canaanites
are all about. Jesus has left Judean territory
earlier in the Gospel, just a few verses earlier.
He's had an encounter, per usual. with the religious
authorities, the Pharisees, who are nitpicking
at the disciples, criticizing, judging them,
demeaning them. And Jesus speaks to the Pharisees,
and the disciples come to him and say, Master,
you know, they think you insulted them. And Jesus
says, they're blind guides, let the blind lead
the blind. Whatever God plants that's of God,
it will grow. Whatever he didn't plant, it's
going to be plucked up and thrown away. And of
course, they don't understand what he's talking
about. So he leaves that whole territory for
some rest. And for an encounter with a Gentile.
Far north, maybe somewhere around present -day
Lebanon. we meet a remarkable pagan woman. Clement
of Rome, writing in about the 100s, 96 AD or
so, tells us her name. It's Justa. And her daughter
is Veroniki, 96 AD. The chances are quite good
we can presume that this daughter was still living
at the time. The Clement. Wrote his letter, his
epistle. And this Veronika is demon -possessed.
Justa is a pagan, not a Jew. She's at the end
of her endurance. She is struggling mightily.
She cries out from the depths of her heart because
her soul, her heart was consumed with pain for
her possessed daughter. She has identified herself
with her daughter as a mother so completely.
She considers the healing of her daughter as
mercy towards her own self. Like, I can't take
this anymore. She says, have mercy on me. She
didn't say have mercy on my daughter. Have mercy
on me. This is beyond me. I'm torn apart. No
one but you, Lord. No one can help me. Have mercy,
O Lord. Son of David, she says. A Gentile calling
out the name of the Savior of the world. Jesus
has to go far north before he hears that. Because
it's not said in Israel very much. My daughter
is severely demon -possessed. When we are desperate,
when we are struggling, we think, I've heard
it said, And all of us say this too. Well, God
is my last hope. But shouldn't he be our first
hope? Our foremost hope. Put not your trust in
princes and the sons of men. We hear that in
the psalm. But he's our last hope. Fix it, Lord.
You must. You must. Almost as if God owes us
is the way we feel. Jesus remains silent. to
this woman. Doesn't say a word. We've also had
this experience with Jesus silent at our side.
Yes, sometimes he is silent, but he is with us.
The disciples think that Jesus is ignoring her,
but he's not. He's inviting her forward. So they
can hear how absolutely xenophobic they are because
she's not a Jew. Jesus is going to teach. I would
imagine those disciples thinking, well, not just
the daughter, but this woman has a demon. She's
bothering you, Lord. Send her away. She's bothering
us. She's driving us crazy. To them, she's just
an animal. She's not a person. They don't see
her. How many times have we walked down the street
in Santa Rosa as a homeless person? We don't
want to look in that person's face to acknowledge
that they are a person, not just a lump. That
they are also an image of God. Look at them,
brothers and sisters. Say good morning. Say good
afternoon. Say how are you? It doesn't cost you
a penny. But it makes that person not feel so
invisible and lost and hopeless. We are to be
Christ's bearers to the world. The disciples
hadn't learned that yet. They're learning it
right here in this gospel. Jesus is going to
teach them and us, and she will become the first.
among the Jews, among the first to be saved.
So a conversation then ensues. She falls down
before Christ. She worships him, her face to
the ground. Lord, help me. She's begging for
help. That's when the Lord replies with a very
curious response that probably bothers us a lot.
The children's bread, that is the children of
Israel. Should not be given to the dogs. Well,
he actually says puppies. But maybe you can imagine
the face of the Lord. Sweet face. Kind face.
And that sentence said, with love and inviting
her. With a twinkle in his eye. Yes, she sees
that. She understands that. We think about how
toddlers eat, and there's food all over the floor,
and then my cat or a dog comes and eats, but
this is not cute. Her face is on the ground.
And the apostles see she is demeaned and humbled.
But she understands what's going on. She offers
what she has, which is humility. Persistence
and patience. And one other thing, cleverness.
She wins the negotiation, if you will, with the
Lord Jesus Christ. Just like Jacob wrestling
with God. She wins. And what does he say? Something
you don't hear very often from Jesus. Oh woman,
great is your faith. Let it be unto you as you
desire. Great is your faith. You see, the thing
that matters here when we approach Jesus Christ
is humility, it's patience, it's persistence.
You can be clever too, but don't try it. You
won't be as clever as this wonderful woman. We
think. in times of desperation, in times of struggle,
desperate, terrible, terrible times when they
do come, and they will come, that we cannot find
the peace of God, but we can. We think instead,
God owes us. I'm entitled to something here from
you, Lord. Aren't I privileged before you? But
with humility, it's natural companion patience
and persistence today. we are challenged to acquire
those things for ourselves and learn how to approach
the Lord, not just for something we want or need
or are in desperation, but to have the zeal to
simply be with Christ, that we are lost without
him. And perseverance in prayer is hard work.
It doesn't come natural to us. Waiting for God,
being patient, is difficult work. Not getting
what we want right away is disappointing because,
of course, I can get anything I want today. I
can go to any number of stores. And if I can't
get it today, I'll get it tomorrow or the day
after through Amazon. We don't have patience.
But this woman is teaching us today. Acquire
it. We see her humility, and it's not weakness.
We see her on her face, saying those words, yes,
Lord, but even the puppies eat the crumbs that
fall from the master's table. God has chosen
the foolish things of this world, says St. Paul.
To put to shame the wise. God has chosen the
weak things of this world. To put to shame the
things that are mighty. And the base things of
the world. And the things which are despised.
God has chosen. That's us. And the things which
are not. To bring to nothing the things that
are. That no flesh should glory in his presence.
If you do not feel like praying or being patient
or persevering, listen to what St. Ambrose of
Optina says. He says, you have to force yourself.
The Holy Fathers say that prayer with force is
higher than prayer that comes easy. You don't
want to do it. You don't feel like getting up,
going to church. You don't feel like giving something
to the poor person. All these things are true.
We don't feel like fasting, but we do it because
the kingdom of God is taken by force, and those
bear it away. Elder Zechariah of Essex writes
in his little book, pre -Lenten book, he says
this, we know that in spite of the fact that
the things which are impossible with men are
possible with God, it still often happens that
when we entreat God with all the pain of our
heart, he does not deliver us from the hardships
that torment us. True wisdom is not to yield
to the spirit of the enemy and ask, why? But
to say, yes, Lord. It is good for me that thou
hast humbled me. Do thou thyself teach me thy
statutes? Then God makes known to us, as St.
Paul says in Ephesians, what is the immeasurable
greatness of his power toward us who believe,
according to the working of his great might,
that he worked in Christ when he raised him from
the dead and seated him at the right hand in
the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority
and power and dominion and above every name that
is named. It is he that will unite himself today
with you and me in the chalice. And he put all
things under his feet and gave him his head over
all things to the church, which is his body.
The fullness of him who fills all. He grants
grace, consolation, and power. which makes us
stronger than the temptations threatening our
life. May God bless us all with that grace, humility,
and patience. And receive from God what this
Canaanite woman received today. This gospel we
heard, this is the first in the, let us say,
signpost gospels, which prepare us for the coming.
of Lent in which we enter that great stadium.
I hear this is a sporting event today. That great
stadium of the virtues of Great Lent. We don't
want to be spectators. That's what happens today.
We're all spectators. We don't want to be second
string players in the stadium of the virtues
of Great Lent. We want to enter and contest lawfully.
Next week, Sunday of Zacchaeus. This week, meditate
on this woman and the Lord's encounter with her.
To our Lord be glory, now and ever, to ages of
ages. Amen.