A Master who knows how to learn

The theme of today’s liturgy is the universality of salvation. Isaiah states that even foreigners will be filled with joy in the house of God (cf. first reading), while Jesus praises the faith of a pagan, the Canaanite woman (cf. Gospel). Paul, in Rom 11, addressing the crux of the Jewish question, celebrates, albeit indirectly, the universal plan of salvation that extends from Abraham to all the peoples of the earth. However, the path is not simple or obvious; indeed it is necessary go through some issues. Isaiah, who advocates the Temple as home of the peoples, demands that the Sabbath be observed or that one adheres to the patrimony of faith
of Israel. Jesus himself, in dialogue with the Canaanite woman, adheres to the Judaic canons. There, salvation is offered primarily to the children (the Jews) and then to the dogs (the pagans). Paul, who will come to say that Christ is the servant of the circumcised (cf. Rom 15:8), recognizes that the root that sustains the Church is Jewish (cf. Rom 11, the image of the olive tree). In summary: first, the Church must remain anchored to its roots and, at the same time, be open to every creature without discrimination of culture, race or religion; that is, she must make the universal plan of salvation her own without giving in to temptation to deny one’s own values in the name of an undifferentiated syncretism. The Gospel passage places before us two different cultural and religious worlds. We have a woman, Greek in language, Syrophoenician by origin, and a descendant of those populations that inhabited Canaan from time immemorial. Then there is Jesus who, along the ways of Judea and Galilee preaches the coming of the Kingdom. But if we go closer to the two main protagonists, we see other interesting elements. The woman is first of all a heartbroken mother, her little girl is in fact seriously ill. When a mother suffers for her creature she is willing to do anything, it doesn’t matter if Jesus is a foreigner, and of the Jewish religion: she plays her last card to save her daughter. She is not a clueless woman, however: if she calls Jesus by the title of son of David, she reveals herself, in the narrative, resolute and courageous. Also, she doesn’t fear the silence of the Master; indeed she waits for him with courage; she is convinced that, behind a severe appearance there is a pietas that attitudes and words seem to deny. But, amazingly, this pagan woman has something to teach Jesus: the universality of her mission. Yes, this woman helps Jesus, gently but firmly, not to close himself in behind ethnic or theological barriers since he came for everyone, without exception, even for the (pagans) dogs. The Canaanite has no pretensions, she wants nothing more than crumbs. But knowing that these belong to her, she wants them, and resolutely. Jesus is in admiration, and affirms that her faith is great, unlike that of the disciples, which is small (cf. Mt 8:26). It is thanks to this faith that many will come from East and West and will sit at God’s table to eat bread of the Kingdom (cf. Mt 8:11; Lk 14:15).

Commentary by b. Sandro Carotta, osb
Abbazia di Santa Maria – Praglia (Italy)

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves,
Prinknash Abbey