The fact that a Canaanite woman felt free to approach Jesus and ask Him to do her a favor tells us that either the woman is at her wit’s end and she sees Jesus as her last option, or that in His preaching Jesus has indicated that He is also open to entertaining requests from people other than the Jews. This is one concrete indication of the universal nature of the Gospel, that Jesus did not come to save only the Jews but all men and women.
In being universal, the Gospel makes demands on those who have heard and accepted it. We are commanded by Jesus to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This is an enormous task requiring a lot of resources and commitment and we all have to do our part. The motivation for us, apart from obedience to the will of God, is knowing that we are bringing the truth of salvation to men and women who have not yet heard about it.
It is good to reflect upon our own faith experience once in a while and to pray for those who were instrumental in our conversion. Without them, who knows where each one of us would be? If those people had not been faithful in following God’s will, maybe we would never have heard of the Gospel and our lives might have ended up mired in sin from which we could not escape. It is important to be grateful to God that He has put the right people in the right places at the right time for us to hear and respond to the Gospel. Let us be open to being used by God to bring the Gospel to others, too.
Sometimes people ask me when they can rest from their religious work and apostolate. I tell them that it is OK to rest in a sense, but we never really rest from our relationship with the Lord. This relationship is meant to consume our lives. We ought to be available for service in the Kingdom of God until the day we die.
Reflection Question:
How do I make myself available for service in my local parish church and community? Should I be doing more?
Jesus, thank You for the gift of salvation. I realize that I need to reflect upon the meaning of this gift daily. Help me to open my heart to receive it fully.
St. Abibas, pray for us.
