August 20, 2023 — 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
And because God is indeed faithful and merciful, He wants to lead us to the joy of heaven to spend eternity with Him. For that, we must be strong in faith and live our lives as an act of love and gratitude to Him. In other words, we must allow Him to transform us into saints. This is what the stewardship way of life is meant to do. Sometimes, that will feel painful to us. Often, it will be challenging.
Jesus certainly challenged the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel passage from Matthew. She called out to Him on behalf of her daughter, who was being tormented by a demon.
What did Jesus do in reply to this mother’s desperate plea? Nothing. He “did not say a word in answer to her.” But she was undeterred and continued to call out to Him — so much so that the disciples asked Him to send her away. Jesus does not send her away, but He does not give her what she asks for immediately either.
Instead, He continues to challenge the woman’s faith. And she rises to the challenge to such an impressive degree that Jesus exclaims, “O woman [a term of deep respect in that day], great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” Imagine hearing those words proclaimed over us by God. Truly, there could be no higher honor than hearing our Lord say that to us.
So we must accept the difficulties that come with the stewardship way of life. Some days will be a true challenge to our trust in God. But those are the days when God is making saints of us. Let’s embrace the hard days. The deep joy that eventually comes, the eternal reward He promises, will be so worth it. And He wants us — all of us— to have it.
