XX Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) 2020
Having Faith: moving from persistence into trust and perseverance
Readings: Isaiah 56: 1, 6-7 / Psalm 67 / Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32 / Matthew 15: 21-28
“O woman, great is your faith!” What a wonderful and blessed way to be addressed by someone you have just met, even more so when that someone is Jesus! I am always fascinated by the many moments in which Jesus affirms the faith of the people who come to him. Prior to today’s reading, in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 8 and 9, we observe Jesus making similar affirmations when he says to the bystanders about the Roman centurion, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith,” and to the woman who suffered 12 years with a hemorrhage, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.”
Like the centurion, the Canaanite woman is an outsider to the house of Israel. In a way, the exchange in today’s reading marks a definitive moment when Jesus makes it publicly clear that his mission is to all God’s children, not just those of the first covenant. Due to the love for her daughter and the God-given faith in the fiber of her being that she readily tapped into, a powerful moment and healing ensued. In addition, we are taught a key aspect of the Gospel message: in Christ, there are no foreigners or outsiders. All are God’s children.
In the aforementioned moments, it is obvious the integral role that faith plays in how God carries out his plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Faith is a gift that God sows in our hearts, so Christ is quite aware of its potential and actual presence and power in the lives of those individuals and in all persons throughout history who come to him.
The persons who came to Jesus seeking his care and healing came out of serious need. Such might have been the beginning of their search, but faith is what brings them to him, propelling them past their fears, desperation and cultural and religious separation.
Like love, the term, faith, is often mentioned, even in casual conversation, but in a manner that does not always manifest religious conviction. Perhaps in our day and age it is overused and undervalued.
To help us appreciate the role of faith in our lives and relationship with God, Fr. Paul Philibert, O.P., my former prior while in theological studies, relies upon St. John Henry Newman’s insights on “real” and “notional assent.” Philibert writes, “If notional assent means saying yes to an idea, real assent means saying yes to something we have actually experienced.”
Faith can be notional in the sense that it is appreciated and expressed in an intellectual manner. We might also consider this as belief. However, faith is not limited to that form of assent. More comes into play. Fr. Philibert illuminates both the distinction of the notional/intellectual and the real as well as the fullness of faith when he writes, “Movements of faith flow out of trust and love.”
While the Canaanite woman might not have been schooled in religious thought, she had given “notional” and “real” assent to God. She was not stuck in ideas but longed to know how God could change the life of someone she cared for deeply. She recognized God in Christ and sought his healing mercy. With noticeable respect, she trusted that Jesus could help her and that he would do it. She took a risk out of love and love in person – Christ Jesus - would not withhold his grace in the face of such simple and sincere faith.
For God, faith is essential. We are talking about God’s gift that provides a link between us and His will and action in the world and in our own lives. The Canaanite woman would not have received the assistance of Christ’s healing if not for the faith in her heart that moved her across cultural and religious divides. God in Christ does the healing and faith provides the bridge between him and us and all persons in need who turn to him. A bridge provides a good image, but may faith make real a relationship between us and Christ, who both seeks us out and patiently awaits our cry.
Peace be with you!
Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P