Today’s readings give us a painful "before and after." In the first reading, we see the tragic Betrayal of King Solomon. The man ...
Today’s readings give us a painful "before and after." In the first reading, we see the tragic Betrayal of King Solomon. The man who was once the wisest on earth, who built the Temple of God, has allowed his heart to be turned away. To please his many foreign wives, he began to worship idols. He broke the first and most important "Boundary"—his total commitment to the one true God. Because of this, the kingdom would eventually be torn apart.
Then, in the Gospel, we see the exact opposite. We meet a "foreign" woman—a Syrophoenician by birth. By the standards of the day, she was outside the Boundaries of the Covenant. When she asks Jesus to heal her daughter, He tests her with a harsh metaphor about not giving the children’s food to the dogs.
Instead of being offended, she responds with incredible Belief: "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps." She doesn't claim a right to the miracle; she simply trusts in the overflowing abundance of Jesus’ mercy. While Solomon, the "insider," was pushing God out of his heart, this "outsider" was pushing her way in through faith.
Jesus is moved by her persistence and her humility. He tells her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter."
The lesson for us is sobering. Being a "cradle Catholic" or a regular churchgoer doesn't guarantee a faithful heart. Solomon had every spiritual advantage and lost his way. The Syrophoenician woman had every disadvantage and found the Lord. Faith is not a static possession; it is a daily choice to keep God at the center.
Today, let us check our hearts for "idols"—the habits or distractions that nudge God to the periphery. And let us imitate the woman’s persistence. No matter how far away you feel from "the table," remember that even a "scrap" of God’s grace is enough to change your life forever.
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