💖 HOMILY - AUGUST 9 💖

First Reading - Numbers 13:1-25, 14:1-35

Gospel - Matthew 15:21-28

I hope most of us like to play or watch different sports. There are some qualities which we can certainly observe in the players: perseverance and persistence in their efforts. It's because of that they have come to the level of representing their respective countries. The readings of day invite us to cultivate the qualities of perseverance and persistence in faith and this will never allow us to get discouraged and disheartened in our lives.

The first reading recounts an account of discouragement of the people after hearing from reconnoitres about the natives of Canaan who were tall like giants and powerful. The reconnoitres were sent from among the group to scout the place and gather information about place and the people of the place. The report of the reconnoitres was discouraging because the people of the place were powerful. They got discouraged because they thought they would not be able to defeat them and capture the land. They relied on their strength to overcome them rather on God. Their cry to God was that of distrust. As a result, God punished them by not allowing them to enter the promised land but made them wander in the desert for forty years to strengthen their faith. This was required to mature their faith in God.

The gospel exemplifies the faith of the canaanite woman. The woman was not a jew but a non-Jew but her faith in Jesus was commendable and in contrast to the faith of the disciples who were reprimanded for their little faith just prior to this event. The conversation between Jesus and the woman is filled with humour and teasing. In the first case, Jesus draws a very crude example to refuse to grant what she wanted by saying - it's not fair to throw children's food to the house dogs. This statement apparently seems disgraceful but is clothed with a sense of humour and teasing. The reply of the woman was not of anger or disdain but insistence and deep faith - yes sir; but still the house dogs can eat the scraps from the master's table. This statement of the woman displayed the faith and trust she had in Jesus. This canaanite woman stands as a satirical figure in contrast to the faith of the disciples who failed to recognize the real identity of Jesus. It's because of her stubborn and firm faith Jesus acclaimed her and granted her request.

My dear friends, we certainly take pride of our faith in Jesus. The irony of our faith lies in our wavering faith like Israelites who experienced the hand of God in their lives, when they were in need but when it was concerned about relying on God they failed. They witnessed that God was walking with them but when they realized about the strength of the inhabitants of Canaan they were frightened and grumbled against God. That is lack of faith. When we are faced with the challenges of our lives, we too evince distrust and lack of confidence in God. We sometimes fail to believe that God who walks with us and loves us will help us also to overcome any challenge that comes on our way. This is a kind of faith we see in the Canaanite woman, she was persistent and believed that Jesus would not discourage her and the result was so as she believed. Today we need a faith that is stubborn and firm and this will help us become confident in life, however worse may be the situation and insurmountable the problem. It's with our perseverance and persistence in faith we can overcome all trials, difficulties and pains of our lives. 

May God help us persevere in our faith in every circumstance of our lives.