Our Lady Of Perpetual Help

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Reflection - Week of August 16

Question of the Week:

When has my faith helped me to cope with my fears or overcome them?

     Matthew’s Gospel was written primarily for a Jewish and Jewish Christian audience, as indicated by the frequent explicit  references that link Jesus with David, the covenant with the Chosen People, and Israel. Therefore, it would make sense that Matthew would have Jesus say, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). This statement is not found in any of the other Gospels. Inconsistent as it is with what he recorded Jesus saying at the end of his Gospel—“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19)—it reflects Matthew’s primary intention. He may have hoped that Jesus’ praise of this Gentile woman’s faith, after he had initially spurned her and explicitly excluded her from his mission, may drive “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” to Christ out of jealousy, much as Paul hoped around the same time.

     Just last Sunday we heard Jesus reprove Peter for his lack of faith when he attempted to walk on the water to him. Today we hear him praise the Canaanite woman for her powerful faith. Both Peter and the woman assert their faith in the Lord initially, but Peter lapses into doubt while the woman refuses to give up. Peter loses his faith when he needs it most while the woman perseveres in her faith despite repeated denials. In this interaction with her, Jesus is teaching his disciples the importance of a faith strong enough to persist through obstacles and doubts.