A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark
She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then Jesus said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
The woman who speaks these words in today’s Gospel is Syrophoenician, a Gentile. Still, aware that Jesus is nearby, she begs him to drive a demon out of her daughter. Referring to Jews, Jesus says to her in words that seem harsh: “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Whether it helps to soften Jesus’ statement, consider that some translations from Greek include “house dog” or “puppy.” But what appears to be abrasive evokes in the woman greater faith. The woman’s reply to Jesus is a profession of faith in God’s mercy: “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” When the woman goes home, she finds her daughter lying in bed, the demon gone. Jesus sees in the woman a mirror of his compassion; her faith in the Lord saves her daughter.
Help me, God, take to heart today’s Gospel to become a mirror of your compassion. Through your Son, the woman found healing and wholeness for her daughter. Today how can I look within as you caused the woman to look within to bring forth greater faith in you? The woman came to you first in falling at your feet and then by calling on your mercy from the depths of her heart. When my prayers seem to sputter and fail, grant me the grace to persist in calling on your name wholeheartedly to know you better.
Lord, to touch only the tassel of your cloak is to receive your healing and mercy in its fullness. Give me the grace today to be aware of you, asking like a child for things great and small. Be with me, Lord, as I strive to hear your voice!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.