August 17, 2014 – Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is 56: 1, 6-7; Ps 67: 2-3, 5-6, 8; Rom 11: 13-15, 29-32; Mt 15: 21-28
In last week’s Gospel we heard Jesus reprimand St. Peter by saying, “Oh you of little faith…” This week Jesus responds to the appeal of a Canaanite woman by healing her daughter and saying, “Oh woman, great is your faith.” We all know how important faith is; but, quite frankly, few of us really understand what faith is.
Faith is not believing in something we cannot prove, although skeptics and even many of us may see it that way. Faith involves trust and confidence. When the Lord challenges Peter’s faith, He is really saying, “Peter, do you not have confidence in me?” And when he heals the woman’s daughter He is saying “You trust me so much.”
Trust is at the foundation of stewardship. Most of us realize that “trust” is built by knowing someone well. Stewardship calls us to get to know the Lord. This is accomplished by prayer and reflection and study. We may make a greater effort during Lent at this, but we need to build prayer and reflection into our lives throughout the year. The better we know the Lord, the more we will trust Him. To have great faith in God, we must be intimate with Him, one with Him. In a recent homily, our Holy Father Francis put it this way, “Put on Christ in your life and you will find a Friend in Whom you can always trust.”
