Faith that Perseveres

by Fr. Jason Laguerta

Today, let us focus on the Canaanite woman in the Gospel.  Let us try to enter into her story and let us try to understand where she is coming from and how Jesus treated her in three levels of rejection that she received from Jesus. 

On the first level, she was telling the Lord to have pity on her, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me; my daughter is tormented by a demon.”  That was the first request and Jesus’ first level response is not say a word; ignore her.  But the women continued and kept calling to Jesus even if the disciples pursued her away.  The woman kept on pleading and this time, Jesus’ second level of response is for Him to say, “Woman, I was not sent for people like you.  I was only sent for the lost sheep of Israel but not for foreigners like you, our enemies.  I am not meant for you.”

Thus, on the first level, Jesus ignored the Canaanite woman and gave her a silent response; the second level is to dismiss and push her away, but on the third level, Jesus’ response was far worse because there was already a sense of belittling her and not just ignoring not pushing her away.  Jesus said, “It is not right to take the food of the children; throw it to the dogs.”  Imagine being called by a name that she becomes a dog, not even human.  Yet, the woman persisted – “Please, Lord, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their master.  I am even willing to accept that I am a dog if only I can do something for my daughter.”

The woman persevered; she persisted after being ignored and pushed away.  She was dismissed and compared to a dog.  There was already the disrespect and yet the woman stayed, and because of this persistence, Jesus was somehow defeated by the woman, as He said, “Oh, woman, great is your faith”  Let it be done according to your wish,” and the daughter got healed at that moment.

So, what does this story relate to us?  I think, many of us can resonate with the Canaanite woman, for many of us have been pleading to God, praying to God for mercy and pity, for our prayers to be answered.  And for many, what do we get in return?  Silence; no answer at all; no response from heaven.

We have been going to our novenas, we have been attending masses, we have been praying the rosary, we have been visiting churches like Baclaran or Quiapo, and what do we get as a response from the Lord?  Nothing.  Nada.  Silence.  But we keep on going, we keep on pleading, we keep on praying, and what do we still get?  Still, nothing, and the answer of the Lord is – not today ; not for people like you; maybe yes for others, but not for you.

Then again, we keep on pleading, we keep on asking the Lord even if sometimes we feel really very bad about ourselves already.  Our view of ourselves becomes so small because we keep comparing ourselves with others.  We already ask, 'Why are they being blessed while I am not?  Why does it seem that the Lord is not listening to me and is even disregarding my prayers?'  In our hurt and disappointment, we begin to belittle ourselves and lose sight of our true worth.

Indeed, there are many people who can resonate with the Canaanite woman whose prayers are not answered, whose pleading to the Lord are not responded to and many times we want to give up and we just want to stop.  A lot of us, when our prayers are not answered, we tend to get mad at God, we stop going to church, we stop praying, but today, the Canaanite woman is given to us as a model when it comes to perseverance in prayer and when it comes to fidelity in faith.

In theology they call it – obstinacy of faith – that is when our faith must not just be strong, but it must also be obstinate.  In other words, we must learn to be persistent, to persevere, and to wait with patience; our faith must be obstinate and steadfast, never giving up too easily but continuing to trust in God even when answers seem delayed.

Here in our parish, we have been holding the novena masses for St. Ezekiel Moreno, who is the patron saint of cancer patients and his feast is on August 19.  I have noticed a couple who faithfully travel all the way from Antipolo despite the distance, the traffic, and the early hour, so one day, I asked them why they kept coming, and the wife told me that they attribute her healing to St. Ezekiel Moreno.  They believe that through his intercession she was healed from her sickness, so to show gratitude and give thanks they attend the daily novena.  Then I asked why do they continue to come when it is so difficult to go there and they shared that while the wife had already recovered, the husband was now battling cancer, too, and so they were once again pleading to St. Ezekiel Moreno to intercede for them and pray that he, too, would be granted healing.

What is inspiring about this couple is not the hardship of their situation, but the hope found in their faith.  For they simply refuse to give up, surrender, or lose heart.  They are obstinate in their faith that no matter how far the journey, how heavy the traffic, or how early the hour, they come faithfully to pray and seek the intercession of St. Ezekiel Moreno.

Likewise, as we beg the Lord for healing and mercy, let us ask not only for strong faith but for an obstinate faith – a faith that never gives up, never surrenders, and continues to cry out, “Have mercy on us, Lord; help us and our loved ones.”  Like the Canaanite woman, may we cling to the Lord and remain steadfast in faith, trusting that one day He may look upon us and say, “How great is your faith!”  That even if the answer seems delayed, we have chosen never to walk away from Him.

May we have the kind of faith of the Canaanite women – the kind that chooses to stay and remain in spite of everything.  That despite the hopelessness, desperations and frustrations in our life, do not give up because God is merciful and kind.

The Gospel presents to us the powerful story of the Canaanite woman, a mother whose daughter was tormented by a demon.  Desperate and full of faith, she cried out to Jesus, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me.”  Yet, what makes this story remarkable is not only her request but the way Jesus seemed to respond to her, for she experienced three levels of rejection before receiving the answer she longed for.

First, Jesus responded with silence.  The woman pleaded for mercy, but He did not say a word.  Imagine how painful that must have been.  Many of us can relate to that experience – we pray, attend mass, pray the rosary, go on novenas, visit churches like Baclaran or Quiapo, and what do we get as a response from the Lord?  Nothing.  Nada.  Silence.  It feels as though heaven remains silent.  We keep asking, keep hoping, and keep waiting, but no answer seems to come.

The second response was even harder because when the woman continued pleading, Jesus said that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.  In other words, she was not among those He had come for; because she was a foreigner, an outsider, she was dismissed and pushed away.  But the woman refused to leave.

Then, came the third response, which is perhaps the most painful of all because Jesus said to her: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”  This time, the woman was no longer simply being ignored or dismissed; she was being compared to a dog already; there was already a sense of belittling and humiliation.  Yet even then, she persevered, and she humbly replied, “Please, Lord, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master's table.”

The woman refused to give up.  She remained steadfast despite the silence, the rejection, and the humiliation.  And because of her persistence, Jesus was finally defeated by the woman as He said: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish,” and at that very moment, her daughter was healed.

Perhaps that is why so many of us can resonate with the Canaanite woman.  Many times, we, too, have pleaded with God for healing, for answers, for financial help, for peace in our families, or for a blessing we have long desired.  Yet often, what we seem to receive is silence.  Sometimes we even begin comparing ourselves to others and ask, “Why are they being blessed while I am not? Why does it seem that the Lord is listening to them but not to me?”  In our disappointment, our view of ourselves becomes small and we begin to doubt our worth and wonder whether our prayers matter at all.

For some people, unanswered prayers become a reason to stop praying.  They grow angry with God, stop attending mass, and slowly walk away from their faith.  But the Canaanite woman shows us another path.  She teaches us perseverance, fidelity, and trust.  She teaches us what theologians call the obstinacy of faith.  Because faith should not only be strong; it should also be obstinate.  In other words, we must learn to persist, to persevere, and to wait patiently.  Our faith must not surrender too easily.  It must continue to trust in God even when answers seem delayed.

And I have seen this kind of faith in our own parish during the novena masses for St. Ezekiel Moreno, the patron saint of cancer patients, whose feast we celebrate on August 19.  Since the novena began, I have noticed a couple faithfully traveling all the way from Antipolo every morning despite the distance, the traffic, and the early hour.

One day, I asked them why they kept coming.  The wife shared that she had been healed from her sickness and that they attributed her healing to the intercession of St. Ezekiel Moreno.  They attended the novena each day as a sign of gratitude. B ut when I asked why they continued to come despite the difficulty, they shared something moving.  Because while the wife had already recovered, the husband was now battling cancer.  Once again, they were pleading for the intercession of St. Ezekiel, praying that he, too, would receive healing.

What inspires me about this couple is not the hardship of their situation but the hope in their faith, for they refuse to give up.  They refuse to surrender.  No matter how far the journey, how heavy the traffic, or how early the hour, they come and pray.  Like the Canaanite woman, they remain steadfast.

So, as we continue our own journey of faith, let us ask the Lord not only for strong faith but for an obstinate faith – a faith that never gives up, never walks away, and never stops crying out, “Have mercy on us, Lord . Help us and our loved ones.”

Like the Canaanite woman, may we choose to stay even when we do not understand God's timing.  May we cling to Him through every disappointment, frustration, and delay, trusting that one day He will look upon us and say, “How great is your faith!”  And when that day comes, we will discover that our perseverance was not in vain.  For God is merciful and kind, and those who refuse to give up on Him will never find that He has given up on them.