Wednesday August 9, 2017
In Roger Young’s movie Jesus, the disciples are scandalized by the affirming response of Jesus to the Canaanite woman’s prayer. One of them approaches Jesus and asks with no little irritation: “Master, our God is for the Gentiles?” Jesus replies, “I saw a dying girl.” Jesus then walks forward, but the disciples remain rooted to their ground. Jesus turns back and asks them, “Would you rather I let her die?” Disciples remain silent. Jesus walks up to them and tells them, “Look, this woman has taught me that my message is for the Gentiles as well. If I can learn, so can you.”
If Jesus can learn, so can we. Jesus was open to the signs of faith in people. He was willing to be taught by his Father through the many experiences that came his way. When faced with the might of the Canaanites, the Israelites clung to their fears and bias and refused to learn from God’s lessons in the past (the first reading). How open and receptive am I to the teaching moments that God provides me?
