Gospel
Mk 7:24-30
Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
Reflection
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
When I read this I couldn't help but imagine walking up to that house with Jesus, and see him try to blend and not be noticed. I wonder why Jesus did not want to be noticed? Could it be that he may have wanted to take a break from all the crowds? Why did He enter the house?
Jesus continues to teach His disciples and to heal the people. He shows His wisdom in the words He speaks. Every word that comes from His mouth is anointed. His Sacred Heart showers care and concern for God's people. Then we come to this Gospel and all of a sudden it seems Jesus is not concerned for this woman or her daughter. What is going on? I suppose we cannot read this Gospel passage using today's world as our context. Since it is mentioned that this woman is a Greek and a Syrophoenician by birth, this may mean that they did not associate well with the Jews. However, Jesus still takes the time to talk with her and in the end, heals her daughter.
What I think this Gospel helps me to see is the power that Jesus has. He does not need to actually go to the child to free her from the demon. All He has to do is say the Words and she is free from her affliction. Can you imagine the mother going back home and witnessing her daughter free of the demon. What joy she must have felt. What do you think she did afterwards?
Today is the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita. When I learned about her I fell in love with her outlook on life. She cared for everyone. Even though she wasn't Christian, it was like Jesus was with her from an early age. She is from Sudan and the daughter of the tribal Chief. She was captured and sold into slavery at the age of 7. She was cruelly treated but she continued to have a caring heart. She was sold many times, but was finally given to an Italian man who treated her kindly. However, the other staff at the house became jealous of her and falsely accused her of doing something wrong and she ran to the town's Catholic Church. There the priest protected her from being beaten by the towns people for what they thought she had done. She found comfort in meditating on the Holy Cross that was in the Church and asked the priest many questions. It was while she was hiding in the Church and waiting for some nuns to take her in, that the towns people learned that people were dying of a plague. Bakhita was the only one that took the people into the church and cared for them and fed them. When the nuns arrived, Bakhita could not leave the people to die. The nuns reluctantly stayed and also helped her take care of the people. The towns people recovered and were so grateful for Bakhita. She did go with the nuns and she got Baptized and entered their order the Canossian's. This is just one of the stories of her life where she showed God's love to the people around her.
So between the Gospel reading and Saint Josephine Bakhita, we can see how important people are to God. He cares so deeply for all people, not just the Pharasis and the Scribes, and not just the Jews.
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