Homily for 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Aug. 16, 1981
Matt 15: 21-28
Mary Help of Christians Academy, North Haledon, N.J.

“But he answered her not a word” (Matt 15: 23, JB).

Christ & the Canaanite Woman

Pupil of Rembrandt, ca. 1650 (Getty Museum)

Today’s readings are about God’s all-inclusiveness.  I don’t know whether that would be the best homiletic theme for this particular congregation.  What does strike me as apropos is Jesus’ response to the prayer of the Canaanite woman.  “He answered her not a word.”

It’s hard for us to imagine Jesus ignoring a plea for help.  And remember, this isn’t a parable.  Let’s take a look at the episode from two angles, the divine and human.

How can Jesus, who is God, just ignore this woman’s need?  Some say he’s testing her and drawing out of her a deeper faith commitment.  If so, this seems to be a strange way of going about it.  The woman is in torment, and he teases and insults her.  Does he get a sadistic pleasure out of her discomfort?  In faith, we quickly say no to that.  Mark’s account of the same incident is less harsh.  He hints that Jesus is tired and wants to get away for a while:  “He went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not pass unrecognized” (7:24).

I don’t know why Jesus acts this way.  But he says plainly enough that his salvation is only for Israel.  When the woman’s faith shows that she has heard this word from him and understood it, when her answer to him shows that she truly does belong to God’s children, then he grants her prayer.

How often does our prayer seem to go unheard!  God so often seems to be deaf, despite his gospel promises about those who ask in faith.  True, Augustine says that if our prayer is bad it won’t be heard, i.e., if it comes from a weak faith or asks for something bad for us.  But can all the things and situations and people we pray for and get not a word of answer, can all these be bad for us?  Can our faith be that lacking?  Hardly.  Is God testing our faith and leading us deeper?  Possibly?  On the other hand, we also need to consider how many graces are thrown our way when we aren’t even looking.  God’s listening to our prayers is a peculiar business.

Maybe as soon as we get into particular details, whether we pray for more vocations or for good weather or whatever, maybe we’re treading on God’s turf.  Maybe God does us a favor, a grace, by apparently not listening even to a patently good request.  For he had his own times and purposes.  The Lord’s own prayer, after all, is pretty general, pretty wide open:  Your will be done … give us bread ... give us forgiveness … protect us from evil.  True prayer doesn’t move mountains or drive out demons (we don’t exclude those, of course)—or else very few people truly pray.  It performs miracles of disposing us to God’s operation in our lives.  If we expect God to be the only one listening, then we have a monolog.  Maybe that’s our problem when God seems to make no response.

The 2d angle is the human.  By that I don’t mean Jesus as man, but us as men and women who are Christ in today’s world.  When people pray to us as the Canaanite woman prayed to Jesus, are we listening?

For example, the readings show God isn’t an exclusionist.  He plays no favorites when he bestows his graces.  There is a message for us as superiors, principals, and teachers who always have people praying to us for something.

For example, when a boy or girl comes to us with a problem, do we want to listen?  Or do we say, (a) “I’m really busy now. Could you see me this afternoon?”  (b) “That’s Sister So-and-so’s responsibility. Go see her.”  (c) “I’m really tired.  Would you give me a break?”  (d) All of the above.

For example, supposing we give the kid (or adult) some of our time, do we really listen?  Or do we seize the first opening to throw in a spiritual band-aid, a cliché, a platitude we once heard in a conference, expecting that to solve the youngster’s problem, expecting her to find that an adequate substitute for our hearts?  When the kid wants to get something out, to question, to cry, to explode, to explain, to pray to us person-to-person, or to God thru us, do we let her?  How often that in itself would be the answer to a kid’s prayer, or a sister’s prayer.  The only word of response she wants is to know that someone understands, someone cares.  You don’t have to be God to hear prayers.

For example, we’ve all seen the kid or the sister who’s too shy to come forward with a complaint or a problem.  We’ve read her body language, the silent prayer.  Do we have the courage to answer it?

Jesus praises the faith of the Canaanite woman who persists in her prayer, and he grants her wish (Matt 15:28).  It seems to me that our prayer will be as faith-full when it opens itself to God’s word without telling God what his word should be, and when it opens our hearts to the prayers of our brothers and sisters in need.

May God open our ears to hear his word and see in it the answer to our prayers.  May he open our hearts to hear and answer the prayers of our sisters and brothers.