In Matthew’s gospel, there is an event where a Canaanite woman advocates for her daughter (Matthew 15). She shouts at Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus does nothing at first, which has puzzled people through the centuries. The disciples want to shoo her away. The woman persists, and through that persistence a most remarkable thing happens — Jesus commends her for her great faith (and her daughter is healed)!
In our day, people often have issues with organizers who disrupt traffic or the regular flow of commerce, yet maybe we can learn from this gospel incident. Sometimes it takes agitation to bring about changes that care for the needs and well-being of those on the outside. Activists in cities like Houston and New York have been fined or arrested for acts of feeding homeless neighbors, which seems baffling to us. May this gospel event work on all our hearts to be ready to hear the cries of those who need well-being but so far are excluded from it. And may this gospel event help us to support the agency of those who seek it for those they love.
Beloved of God, thank you for the ways you witness to God’s love which knows no bounds, and the willingness to keep exploring that.
Peace,
Hans
Three Holy Days
In our tradition, we make space on Maundy Thursday to remember central parts of our faith story. We hear about the...
