“Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So his disciples approached
him and said, “Send her away! See how she is shouting after us.” Then Jesus
said to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.” But the
woman was already kneeling before Jesus, and said, “Sir, help me!” Jesus
answered, “It is not right to take the bread from the children and throw it to
puppies.” The woman replied, “That is true, sir, but even puppies eat the
crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said, “Woman, how
great is your faith! Let it be as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at
that moment.

Reflect

“How great is your faith!” Today’s Gospel narrates Jesus going to the region of
Tyre and Sidon where a Canaanite woman pleaded him to heal her daughter
who was being tormented by a demon. The immediate reaction of Jesus’ disciples
was to dismiss the woman. They told Jesus to send the woman away. Jesus did not
heed his disciples’ suggestion. Rather, he began talking with the woman. Jesus’
explanation of Israel as the primary locus of his mission also served as a conversation
starter, reflective of Jesus’ openness to enter into a dialogue with anybody. Jesus told
the woman that it is not proper to give to the puppies the bread intended for the
children. The woman expressed herself out of love for her daughter and out of her
faith in Jesus. She told Jesus that even the puppies would eat the crumbs falling from
the master’s table, implying that even the outsiders are in need of the same blessings
given and enjoyed by the insiders. Jesus’ act of healing the woman’s daughter indicates
a mission that is open and expansive.

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