Everyone has a “claim” on God.
Everyone can pray to God. There is no special restriction of religion, culture or colour. The unmovable faith is important. The Gospel in this Sunday is explaining this through the life experience of Jesus and the gentile Canaanite woman.
Jesus’ reaction appears to be “provoking” in the first time.
Normally we don’t hear such usages from Jesus.
He is compassionate and healing and meek.
Especially to women, because they were true followers till his end on the cross. And some of them had not such a ”good” background at all.
Still he was good to them. But the reaction towards this woman is completely “anormal”.
Jesus provokes deliberately by using the terms ‘Dog’ or “only to…the house of Israel”. Jesus may be watching her reaction or her faith -whether it is superficial or a real one.
He may be testing her words/ proclamation, ‘Son of David’; to know if it was a genuine proclamation of her Heart / faith or only a “verbal” influence to get some help.
Then it is good to remember Jesus’ words.
“Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven…” (Mt, 7, 21)
Eternity is not assured through some external practises only.
It needs the basic support of real faith.
To be born as Jew or baptised as Christian is not 100% surety to the eternal life. It is only a starting requirement to enter in to the bliss with God.
Religious ways must shape our complete life.
Salvation is not some thing automatically achieved.
May be there were such thoughts among Jews at the time of Jesus and later in among some Christians in the time of Mathews work on the Gospel.
Even today some believe that “practicing faith” alone helps to be in the kingdom of God.
The “Sola fide” dispute between Luther and the Catholic Church is an example to it.
Vatican II says: “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself “(Nostra Aetate 2).
Yes, finding this ‘Source of the Great Light’ is important. And we believe that it is complete in Jesus the incarnated Son of David.
Our faith practices in the Church are help to come to the sources of divinity.
The controversial notion of Anonymous Christian introduced by the Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner declares that people who have never heard the Gospel or even rejected it might be saved through Christ. Non-Christians could have "in [their] basic orientation and fundamental decision," Rahner wrote, "accepted the salvific grace of God, through Christ, although [they] may never have heard of the Christian revelation…
Yes, Jesus emphasizes it: God is not someone reserved for a particular religion – to Jew or to Christian. The wonder granted to the Canaanite woman is its approval. Faith can move not only mountains but God’s ‘decisions’ too.
Jesus provokes not only the woman. It is also a question on our various religious practises.
Are we taken by the belief that we are saved or we can influence God with some ‘tricks’ or ‘faithless-praises’ alone?
Then it is time to correct our ways and practises.
May God give us enough power to concentrate on important spiritual matters than external matters! Amen.
-
Fr Thomas Kalathil
Everyone can pray to God. There is no special restriction of religion, culture or colour. The unmovable faith is important. The Gospel in this Sunday is explaining this through the life experience of Jesus and the gentile Canaanite woman.
Jesus’ reaction appears to be “provoking” in the first time.
Normally we don’t hear such usages from Jesus.
He is compassionate and healing and meek.
Especially to women, because they were true followers till his end on the cross. And some of them had not such a ”good” background at all.
Still he was good to them. But the reaction towards this woman is completely “anormal”.
Jesus provokes deliberately by using the terms ‘Dog’ or “only to…the house of Israel”. Jesus may be watching her reaction or her faith -whether it is superficial or a real one.
He may be testing her words/ proclamation, ‘Son of David’; to know if it was a genuine proclamation of her Heart / faith or only a “verbal” influence to get some help.
Then it is good to remember Jesus’ words.
“Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven…” (Mt, 7, 21)
Eternity is not assured through some external practises only.
It needs the basic support of real faith.
To be born as Jew or baptised as Christian is not 100% surety to the eternal life. It is only a starting requirement to enter in to the bliss with God.
Religious ways must shape our complete life.
Salvation is not some thing automatically achieved.
May be there were such thoughts among Jews at the time of Jesus and later in among some Christians in the time of Mathews work on the Gospel.
Even today some believe that “practicing faith” alone helps to be in the kingdom of God.
The “Sola fide” dispute between Luther and the Catholic Church is an example to it.
Vatican II says: “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself “(Nostra Aetate 2).
Yes, finding this ‘Source of the Great Light’ is important. And we believe that it is complete in Jesus the incarnated Son of David.
Our faith practices in the Church are help to come to the sources of divinity.
The controversial notion of Anonymous Christian introduced by the Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner declares that people who have never heard the Gospel or even rejected it might be saved through Christ. Non-Christians could have "in [their] basic orientation and fundamental decision," Rahner wrote, "accepted the salvific grace of God, through Christ, although [they] may never have heard of the Christian revelation…
Yes, Jesus emphasizes it: God is not someone reserved for a particular religion – to Jew or to Christian. The wonder granted to the Canaanite woman is its approval. Faith can move not only mountains but God’s ‘decisions’ too.
Jesus provokes not only the woman. It is also a question on our various religious practises.
Are we taken by the belief that we are saved or we can influence God with some ‘tricks’ or ‘faithless-praises’ alone?
Then it is time to correct our ways and practises.
May God give us enough power to concentrate on important spiritual matters than external matters! Amen.
-
Fr Thomas Kalathil
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