I've been really inspired lately by the passage in Matthew called "The Canaanite Woman's Faith" (Matthew 15:21-28). The passage follows below:
21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ 23But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ 24He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’26He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’27She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ 28Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.
Matthew 15:21-28
The Canaanite woman calls out to the Lord, interceding for her daughter. But
He doesn't respond. She preserves and asks Him again for His help, meanwhile
the disciples are asking Jesus to send her away.
He responds with, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
She then humbly kneels before our Lord, in complete submission, asking again for help on behalf of her child.
He answers her with "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."
And then perhaps the most beautiful, climactic part of this passage is her response, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
What faith!! Jesus acknowledged her great faith, and granted her the answer to her prayer because of her great faith. I find myself sometimes wondering in prayer if Jesus is really going to answer my prayers... sometimes I limit His power... and so I kept coming back to this passage for inspiration.
Then I realized that what the Canaanite woman did for her child is what Our Mother does for us!! She intercedes for us at the feet of Jesus with faith and humility that outshines the Canaanite woman's, making Her intercession for us incredibly powerful. Jesus always listens to His Mother (reflect on the Wedding at Cana) and with her petitions for us, we can confidently say that He will answer our prayers. We have to keep in mind that our prayers aren't always perfect (sometimes selfish) or sometimes they aren't the will of God. But certainly, He will answer them in the ways He thinks are best for us.
And we are incredibly loved by Our Mother... the love the Canaanite woman had for her child cannot compare to the love our Mother has for us.
21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ 23But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ 24He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’26He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’27She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ 28Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.
Matthew 15:21-28
The Canaanite woman calls out to the Lord, interceding for her daughter. But
He doesn't respond. She preserves and asks Him again for His help, meanwhile
the disciples are asking Jesus to send her away.
He responds with, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
She then humbly kneels before our Lord, in complete submission, asking again for help on behalf of her child.
He answers her with "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."
And then perhaps the most beautiful, climactic part of this passage is her response, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
What faith!! Jesus acknowledged her great faith, and granted her the answer to her prayer because of her great faith. I find myself sometimes wondering in prayer if Jesus is really going to answer my prayers... sometimes I limit His power... and so I kept coming back to this passage for inspiration.
Then I realized that what the Canaanite woman did for her child is what Our Mother does for us!! She intercedes for us at the feet of Jesus with faith and humility that outshines the Canaanite woman's, making Her intercession for us incredibly powerful. Jesus always listens to His Mother (reflect on the Wedding at Cana) and with her petitions for us, we can confidently say that He will answer our prayers. We have to keep in mind that our prayers aren't always perfect (sometimes selfish) or sometimes they aren't the will of God. But certainly, He will answer them in the ways He thinks are best for us.
And we are incredibly loved by Our Mother... the love the Canaanite woman had for her child cannot compare to the love our Mother has for us.
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