The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to take courage as we respond to the Spirit that is guiding us to fullness of life.
In the reading from the Book of Numbers spies are sent into Canaan but an attempted invasion is repulsed.
* [14:28–29] God punished the grumblers by giving them their wish; cf. v. 2. Their lack of trust in God is cited in 1 Cor 10:10 and Heb 3:12–18 as a warning for Christians. (Numbers, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 106 is a confession of Israel’s sins.
* [Psalm 106] Israel is invited to praise the God whose mercy has always tempered judgment of Israel (Ps 106:1–3). The speaker, on behalf of all, seeks solidarity with the people, who can always count on God’s fidelity despite their sin (Ps 106:4–5). Confident of God’s mercy, the speaker invites national repentance (Ps 106:6) by reciting from Israel’s history eight instances of sin, judgment, and forgiveness. (Psalms, PSALM 106 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, the Canaanite woman’s faith seeks healing for her daughter.
* [15:21–28] See note on Mt 8:5–13.
* [15:24] See note on Mt 10:5–6.
* [15:26] The children: the people of Israel. Dogs: see note on Mt 7:6.
* [15:28] As in the case of the cure of the centurion’s servant (Mt 8:10), Matthew ascribes Jesus’ granting the request to the woman’s great faith, a point not made equally explicit in the Marcan parallel (Mk 7:24–30). (Matthew, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)
Eileen Burke-Sullivan comments that the Canaanite woman is not part of the Jewish promise, and yet her courage in challenging Jesus on her behalf and that of her daughter brings an entire new message to the community of Jesus’ followers. God is concerned about the whole human race, not the least those who are trapped in despair.
The invitation I heard in these texts is openness to the grace of Saint Ignatius’ “first principal and foundation' ' of Christian Spiritual life: God is love, God is hope and God is faith that life is eternal in joy and mercy. The Victory of salvation has been won for all Creation by Jesus’ death and resurrection. I must not respond as faithless cowards but as a woman of courage, willing to put up with life’s challenges to be open to God’s gift of perfect life.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people. (Gospel Acclamation) (Burke, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “The Mother of the Gentiles,” by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century).
"After our Lord departed from the Jews, he came into the regions of Tyre and Sidon. He left the Jews behind and came to the Gentiles. Those whom he had left behind remained in ruin; those to whom he came obtained salvation in their alienation. And a woman came out of that territory and cried, saying to him, 'Have pity on me, O Lord, Son of David!' O great mystery! The Lord came out from the Jews, and the woman came out from her Gentile territory. He left the Jews behind, and the woman left behind idolatry and an impious lifestyle. What they had lost, she found. The one whom they had denied in the law, she professed through her faith. This woman is the mother of the Gentiles, and she knew Christ through faith. Thus on behalf of her daughter (the Gentile people) she entreated the Lord. The daughter had been led astray by idolatry and sin and was severely possessed by a demon." (excerpt from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 58) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Numbers 13:1-2, 25–14:1, 26-29, 34-35 comments that as he did for Israel, God has promised us gifts. Jesus came to give us life in abundance (John 10:10)! But like the Israelites, we face giants that stand in our way. Struggles with health, finances, or broken relationships may seem to block our path to a life of freedom.
To be sure, these are significant foes. But when we turn our attention from the obstacles and fix our eyes on God’s promises, we’ll see victory. The more we trust in the Lord, the more we’ll recognize the early signs of new life and the beginnings of God’s promises being fulfilled. We’ll begin to taste the fruit of peace and hope. Slowly but surely, our giants will begin to lose their power. We will say with Caleb, “We can certainly seize the land.”
“Lord, I trust in your promises today!” (Meditation on Numbers 13:1-2, 25–14:1, 26-29, 34-35, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the refusal of most of the tribal leaders to invade the land of Canaan. Only Caleb and Joshua will enter the Promised Land after a generation spent wandering in the desert. The Canaanite woman who is compared to the unclean dogs offers a clever response of faith to Jesus. Friar Jude notes that some who are not Churchgoers express greater faith in Providence than we do.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, further clarifies what he means by the false self. Our false self, which we might also call our “small self” or “separate self,” is our launching pad: our body image, our job, our education, our clothes, our money, our car, our success, and so on. These are the functional trappings of ego that we all use to get through an ordinary day. They are largely projections of our self-image and our attachment to it. [1]
When we are able to move beyond our separate or false self—as we are invited to do over the course of our lives—it will eventually feel as if we have lost nothing. In fact, it will feel like freedom and liberation. When we are connected to the Whole, we no longer need to protect or defend the mere part. We no longer need to compare and compete. We are now connected to something inexhaustible.
To not let go of our false self at the right time and in the right way is precisely what it means to be stuck, trapped, and addicted to our self. (The traditional word for that was sin, the result of feeling separate from the Whole.) Discovering our True Self is not just a matter of chronological age. Some spiritually precocious children see through the false self rather early. Some old men and old women are still dressing it up. If all we have at the end of our life is our separate or false self, there will not be much to eternalize. It is transitory and impermanent. These costumes are largely created by the mental ego. They were useful to us in our development. Our false self is what changes, passes, and dies when we die. Only our True Self lives forever. [3] (Rohr, 2023)
We declare our faith in God and Providence as we attend to the prompting of the Spirit to act in faith on our journey.
References
Burke, E. (2023, August 9). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/080923.html
Matthew, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/15?21
Meditation on Numbers 13:1-2, 25–14:1, 26-29, 34-35. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/08/09/752311/
Numbers, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/14
Psalms, PSALM 106 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/106?6
Rohr, R. (2023, August 9). Letting Go of the False Self — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/letting-go-of-the-false-self-2023-08-09/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Great Is Your Faith! Be It Done for You as You Desire. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 9, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=aug9
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