How Great is Your Faith?

Amy Schisler

“O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire” (Matthew 15:27 ).

An Interruption

In today’s Gospel, Matthew tells of the Canaanite woman whose daughter is tormented by a demon. She begs for help, and Jesus refuses. This woman is an interruption to his day and his mission. His cousin has been beheaded. He’s been rejected by his hometown and religious leaders. He wants to be alone, to pray and rest, yet this woman will not leave him alone. She is a nuisance, someone to be dismissed. 

Unworthy

In our English interpretation, Jesus compares her to, even calling her, a dog. We are appalled, wondering how the Son of God could call her a dog, someone less than human. In Jesus’s day, Non-Jews were called ‘dogs,’ unclean and unworthy of God’s promises. In telling Jesus that “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table” (Matthew 15:26-28), the woman reminds us that Jesus’s mission is to bring everyone to God.

Saved by Faith

The crumbs are symbolic of the Bread of Life, offered first to the children of Israel but available to all who ask for it, all who recognize Jesus. This Gentile recognizes Jesus as Lord. She knows who she is and who he is. Jesus turns upside-down his own acknowledgment that the bread is only for the Israelites by proclaiming, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire” (Matthew 15:27). 

Using the same phrase he used for his mother, “O, woman” (John 2:4), Jesus elevates this woman to a person of honor and respect, deserving of the Bread of Life. Jesus was not denigrating the woman. He was using her as an example of faith!

You are worthy. No matter your status in life, your ethnicity, background, or sins, you are worthy. God is calling you, woman. Let Him see how strong your faith is by answering his call.*

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, my Lord and God, help me always to remember that I am worthy. Thank you for the Bread of Life which strengthens me in my faith journey. Help my faith to grow as strong as the Canaanite woman’s. Amen

Call to Action:

How strong is your faith? Spend some time in adoration with the Lord, focusing on the Bread of Life, and ask Him to strengthen your faith.

*This reflection is taken from Amy’s book, Clothed With Strength and Dignity, Women of the Bible and was first posted on August 7, 2024 at https://catholicvineyard.com/how-great-is-your-faith/