Bible
Study: Jeremiah 31, 1 to 7 and Matthew 15, 21 to 28.
When we consider what God says to us
today through Jeremiah, our hearts become filled with hope once again. “I have
loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness
to you.” The meaning of this is that nothing, not even our worst sins can make
decide to stop loving us. That is to say, even when God punishes us, even when
we suffer the consequences of our sins as the Israelites were made to suffer
exile, God continues to love us. His love is constant and everlasting.
We should not make the mistake of
defining suffering as a sign of God’s hatred for us. God loves Jesus, yet God
did not prevent him from suffering the pain and agony of the cross. Jesus loves
us, yet he told us that if we must follow him, we must take up our crosses and
come after him. In every situation of suffering that we face, we must continue
to trust in God’s unflinching love for us.
In the Gospel passage, behold a woman
having assured herself of God’s love approached Jesus to beg for healing for
demon-possessed daughter. Her only problem was that she just happened to be a Canaanite
woman. What crime did she commit by being a Canaanite woman? Do we choose our
parents? Yet, Jesus’ response to her was to say the least racist and
derogatory. “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
This was an insult. But the woman did
something that continues to strike me each time I read this passage. She took
the insult, literally calling herself a dog and went further to beg saying: “Even
the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.” She was saying to
Jesus: I agree that I am not qualified to ask for healing because I am a
foreigner but all I ask is for the crumbs, the leftovers.
Have you been insulted before? How did
you handle it? Were you able to keep your calm, laugh over it and even accept
the derogatory remarks about your personality? Or did you cry out violently for
justice? Did you respond with an equal or more damaging insult? Dear friends,
let us always remember that no matter how highly placed we think we are, we are
bound to be insulted but then, the way we handle insults determines what we get
in life.
Let us learn to swallow. Let us learn
to take shit from others. That way, our humility becomes a sermon to those who
try to affect us with bitterness. Every insult is a test.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, your love for me
is everlasting. May I not be discouraged by insults but continue to remind
myself of your never failing love for me. Amen.
Good
morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless
you.
Fr. Abu.
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