Schegge di vangelo a cura di don Stefano Bimbi
Giovedì Santo a cura di Ermes Dovico
GOSPEL PEARLS

Double dose of humilty

O woman, great is your faith! (Matthew 15: 28)

Schegge di vangelo 16_08_2020 Italiano Español

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”  But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.”  Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15: 21-28)

The woman’s prayerful cry for Jesus’s help implies her displaying a double dose of humility. First of all, like her, we realize that we cannot find within ourselves the solution to all our problems. We must also recognize that the meaning of our existence is not found in us, but only in God. The Canaanite woman of the Gospel demonstrates this very well by declaring that she is happy to have the crumbs that fall from Jesus's table. If we are always humble, we will not make the mistake of making unrighteous and presumptuous prayers.