Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Mass Readings
Wow! Today’s scripture from the Old Testament is almost jaw dropping in its harshness. Clearly, God has worked hard to get the slaves freed. He has feed them in the desert and now gotten the Israelites to the Promised Land. The scouts have come back from the Promised Land and have described what they have found mostly from a negative point of view. This discouraging report spreads like a poison throughout all of the children of Israel. It challenged and undermined God’s promise of liberation throughout the community. We still see this today, as negative energy can consume a family, an office, a church or any organization when left unchecked. God’s response to the negativity seems like tough love. God responds to the challenge and negative belief by delivering suffering; For every day the scouts spent in the Promised Land, the Lord repays their pessimistic response with one year wandering in the desert for a total of forty years. The psalm response for today shows us that God does love us, “Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.” (Ps 106: 4a) The challenge then falls back to us to examine our own expectations of God. It may seem simplistic, but if we believe that we are destined for misery, then why would we expect otherwise. However if we are consistently grateful for the blessing that have been bestowed upon us, isn’t it likely then that we will continue to recognize the blessings God bestows on us.
This is what the gospel reading teaches us. Jesus is in gentile region, perhaps trying to get a respite from his ministry. Even there outside of Israel, Jesus is recognized as one who can bring healing. In this story, it is the Canaanite woman that challenges Jesus to heal her daughter. Her faith, her positive belief that Jesus could bring the reign of God even into gentile regions encourages Jesus to answer her prayer in the same positive manner by healing her daughter.
The readings remind us that the way we look at life and the way the Lord works in the world is not always the way we expect. As a result sometimes we may grumble, become unbelieving or even rebel. We see that a negative view can have consequences. Today, let us reflect upon an issue that has caused us to grumble lately. Re-examine the issue and pray about it. Try and find a way to view the issue as still a gift from God, realizing of course that this may be the beginning of a long process of doing so. May be we could try to be like the Canaanite woman.
“Heavenly Father, our lives are in your hands, and yet sometimes we forget. Challenge us to be like the woman from Canaan, who had faith and trusted in You. Help us this day to be aware that you do provide for our needs. Most of all, give us grateful hearts for all your blessings. Amen”
-Michael Montgomery