Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon."... "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour. (Mathew 15: 22, 26-28)

A Canaanite woman, a pagan, a non-Jew, a goy (disparaging), shouts to Jesus with the urgent plea: Kyrie, eleison – “Lord, have mercy on me.” This urgent plea happens at very Mass when we are called to reconcile with God and one another. Even worse when she was referred to as little housedogs. How would you feel if someone implied that you and your little girl were worthless pagan dogs? Your defensive mechanism would rise to the roof! However, the Canaanite woman agreed with Jesus’ assessment without defensiveness while continuing her plea. “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table” (15:27). She fully accepted the reality of their situation in her response. She was not in covenant with God as part of his chosen people. Earlier she identified Jesus as the “Son of David,” (15:24) thereby expressing her faith in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. Accepting the reality of our state of faith or the reality of our brokenness with God and one another is worth to examine daily. That’s why seeking God’s mercy and forgive is always important in every act of worship. And act of worship must begin at home where charity, mercy, forgiveness, acceptance was taught. Within our families, we look to the mercy of God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus, as exemplars of how families should treat one another. It is very easy to excuse ourselves from this design, but that can jeopardize our eternal salvation. The mission of Jesus as well as the mission of the Church, is to heal what is broken, and seek what was lost.

God of love and mercy, we call out to You in our troubled family relationships. Help us to avoid anger and that penetrating silence that can destroy LOVE.

Peace in Christ,
Father Vincent Vuong Nguyen