Here is a remarkable passage about the faith Jesus calls for each of us to have in our daily lives; for here is a woman who sees Jesus and calls after him relentlessly. The disciples become annoyed with her and ask Jesus to send her away, but he does not, nor does he answer her. When she comes near and kneels before him, Jesus tells her, "It is not meet to take the children's (Israelite's) bread, and cast it to the dogs (Gentiles)." The women responded to Jesus saying, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table." Then Jesus answered again and said. "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." And her daughter was made whole that very hour. She persisted because she knew he was good, he was love, she could see it in his eyes and she intensified her pleadings despite Jesus refereeing to her as a dog, yet Jesus says her faith is great. After reading the passage at home to yourself, what is it about her faith that Jesus admires? It was her patience. Jesus didn't respond on purpose because he was testing her faith in him. He taught us the gift of healing by not driving her away but by letting her persistence in him show us that even when are pleadings are not answered, if we are patient in our prayers we will grow in faith and love, intensity and devotion, especially in these challenging times. It is not all about book learning, the knowing of the tenants of the faith, or its creeds, for this woman knew none of these things. It is her blind faith that shapes her identity, the faith which holds her together, which gives her life purpose in helping her inferred daughter no matter what obstacles she faces. Just like her, there are many people tormented by the suffering of their children that they give up everything; their time, their work and their home life in serving their child so much that it is becomes part of their identity. Even when she is called a dog by Jesus, it does not bother her, and she answers Jesus quickly; nothing is going to take her task of caring for her daughter away. That is what Jesus is calling us to do. It is important to have creeds and book learning, but we can only hold those things if we have a deeper faith in God and allow our lives to be led by him, and him alone.
After the gospel, we recite the creed that we believe in God, but also that we believe in the church, the saints, the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting; this is our identity. No doubt we make mistakes, but we believe that we belong to the community of saints, and define ourselves by the forgiveness of sins, it is second nature to us. In our lives, we hold so dear to us the promise of eternal life it shapes everything we do; lets have the faith of this woman, that we respond to the lord quickly, as second nature, and allow others to challenge us to have deeper faith.