(Optional Memorial for Saint Jerome Emiliani, Priest)
(Optional Memorial for Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin)
Readings for the Memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita
may be taken from the Common of Virgins
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| “Christ and the Canaanite” by Jean-Germain Drouais, 1784 |
Commentary:[3]
Reading I: 1 Kings 11:4-13
Commentary on 1 Kgs 11:4-13
“The glorious rise of Solomon, his piety and wisdom, administrative skill and wealth, the extension of his kingdom, his prestige among neighboring rulers, his reign of peace, above all his friendship with God-these are now eclipsed by his sins of intermarriage with great numbers of pagan wives and the consequent forbidden worship of their gods (Exodus 34:11-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-5). His construction of temples in their honor merited the punishment of loss of a united kingdom to his posterity, and the opposition of adversaries to himself (1 Kings 11:14; 1 Kings 11:23-37).” [4]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Commentary on Ps 106:3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40
Psalm 106 is a national lament. The psalmist recalls the times the chosen people failed to follow the Law of Moses, having been seduced by foreign religions and barbaric practices. As a consequence they walked far from God, the Father who had adopted them (“And the LORD grew angry with his people, and abhorred his inheritance.”)
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Gospel: Mark 7:24-30
Commentary on Mk 7:24-30
In this selection Jesus has withdrawn from Palestine to escape the persecution of the Pharisees and scribes and to spend time training his disciples. The region they come to is predominantly gentile and sets the scene for his encounter with the Syrophoenician woman.
The exchange recorded in St. Mark’s Gospel is intended to describe the universal nature of the messianic mission. Within the dialogue we see Jesus first refuse to accede to the woman’s request (even though she recognized his authority: “She came and fell at his feet.”). This same pattern of refusal and then acquiescence is found in St. John’s Gospel (John 2:4, John 4:48)
The metaphor being exchanged in this banter refers to the “children” being the Hebrews and the “dogs” a reference to the Gentiles (frequently referred to as such by Hebrews of the day). While this seems out of character for the Lord, our translation leaves out some conversational nuances that soften the dialogue. The word translated as “dogs” in this translation could be more accurately expressed as “pups.” It is also significant that the children and pups are eating at the same table, again expressing the universal nature of the mission of the Messiah.
As in other instances in St. Mark’s Gospel when the Jesus cures a Gentile, he does so from a distance. “When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.”
CCC: Mk 7:29 2616
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Reflection
In spite of the way the exchange between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman sounds, the message given is actually one of unity. We hear Jesus refuse the woman who has come to him. She caught him at a very bad time. He had just traveled to Tyre; he needed a rest, time away from the confrontations with the Pharisees in Palestine. We are told he “…wanted no one to know about it.” Yet, here comes this woman, a Gentile, and throws herself at him.
Jesus is true man as well as true God. He became tired just as we do and curing the sick and casting out demons took much effort on his part. So he declines. He has not been as successful with the children of Israel as he had hoped. The gospel he brought had not been well received in his native land, and here comes this Gentile woman making claims on that message of salvation.
Jesus uses a slang expression but softens it. In scripture we hear the word used was “dogs,” however, the Aramaic expression would have been more like pups. The woman persists and uses the metaphor to her own advantage and the Lord expels the unclean spirit from her daughter.
What is clear from this encounter is that Jesus brought his message to everyone, not just a select few. And his call to us is to take up that message and pass it on to others. We find that difficult to do at times. We even find it difficult to express that message to others who are tasked with sharing the same message, our brothers and sisters in Christ.
This then is what the Gospel calls us to do on this day – to bring the message of God’s love to those we meet. To express it in words and actions in a way that cannot be misunderstood. In this way we respond to the Lord as he responds to us – in love and understanding.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Christ and the Canaanite” by Jean-Germain Drouais, 1784
[4] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 11:1, 3, 7
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