Faith that Grows (HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (AUGUST 7, 2024

HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (AUGUST 7, 2024

Jeremiah 31:1-7; Jer.31; Matthew 15:21-28

Faith that Grows

The Jews considered themselves as the elite amongst other nations. For this reason, they had nothing to do with foreign nations such as Canaan. This explains why the disciples were surprised to see Jesus talking with a female non-Jew by the well. It is with this mentality that the disciples interpreted the silence of Jesus in today’s gospel reading.

Since Jews have no dealings with the Canaanites, the disciples thought that Jesus was silent to the plea of the woman because He did not want to help her. So, instead of reiterating the plea of the woman to Jesus, they rather advised Jesus to send her away. It was as though they were saying “since you do not want to help her, send her away”.

Beloved, sometimes, our minds and people around us play this same role of the disciples in our faith journey. Each time it seems as if God is not granting us a specific desire, we may be tempted to think that he is saying No; we may also be advised by others to try some other solutions, since “our solution is not working”. But then, let us bear in mind that Jesus never sends anyone away.

The strength of the faith of the woman was not only expressed when she refused to be discouraged by Jesus’ seemingly neglect but also when she dared to cross cultural demarcation and asked Jesus (a Jew) for help. Nothing was too much for her to sacrifice in order to have an encounter with the Lord. Beloved, many of us worship God but not when it demands that we leave our comfort zones. One who serves God out of convenience will surely not stand firm when trials come.

The extent to which we are ready to make sacrifices in order to maintain and grow in our relationship with God, will determine how strong our faith will be. If the woman’s faith was not strong enough, she would not have dared coming to Jesus in the first place. God wants us to continue to experience him daily so that we can be convinced of who he is and of his love for us in moments of trials.