Episode Transcript
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In today’s Gospel, we encounter a
surprising and even uncomfortable moment
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between Jesus and a Canaanite woman.
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She's a foreigner, an outsider,
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someone who would normally be
ignored by the Jewish community.
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Yet, she approaches Jesus
with courage and desperation,
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begging Him to heal her daughter.
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At first, Jesus seems distant.
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He does not answer her immediately.
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Even the disciples want to send her away.
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But the woman does not give up.
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She kneels before Him and says, “Lord, help me.”
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Three words that are among the most powerful
prayers in all of Scripture: “Lord, help me.”
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This woman has gone way beyond
the division of those times,
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Jews against Canaanites, Jews against Samaritans,
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Jews against Romans, married against widows,
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healthy against lepers, rich
against poor, men against women.
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This woman approaches Jesus, ignoring the division of time
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and appealing to the
convergence of human frailty.
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Jesus recognises two things in this woman:
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human need and faith.
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An outsider, a pagan, a Canaanite
woman shows faith in Jesus.
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He responds: "You have great faith."
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He grants what she asked of Him.
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In a way, we are all outsiders;
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we stand behind the wall of our social divisions,
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but we come to Jesus with need and with faith.
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It does not matter where you
come from, the way you look,
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what your accent sounds like, or what job you do.
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We come with human need and faith.
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When seeking the help of Jesus,
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we no longer belong to a world that
commands division and selfishness.
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We belong to the people of God
who seek communion in Christ.
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Let Jesus respond to your
human need and your faith.
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The woman teaches us what real faith looks like.
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Faith is not pretending everything is fine.
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Faith is bringing your human
need to Jesus with persistence,
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humility, and trust, even when life is
difficult,
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even when God seems silent.
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Many of us know what that silence feels like.
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We pray for healing, for our children, for
our marriages, for peace in our hearts,
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and sometimes the answer does not come quickly.
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The Gospel reminds us not to lose heart
in God’s silence
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as it is not God’s absence.
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The Canaanite woman approached
Jesus with humility and trust.
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May we do the same, and may our prayer
be simple and sincere: “Lord, help me.”
