Bishop Fulton Sheen once said that the difference between a baptized Christian and a non-baptized person is greater than the difference between a man and an amoeba. Obviously it's not right to take food from our children and give it to an amoeba, or a dog, for that matter.
The Syro-Phoenician woman intuitively grasped that she was not worthy of being treated with the same status as one of Jesus' disciples. Nevertheless, she also believed that Jesus would be moved by a humble yet persistent appeal to His mercy. "She approached Him and crouched at His feet" like a dog (Mk 7:25). If being humble meant that she could be around Jesus and make her request to Him, then she would gladly be like a dog. Jesus not only granted her request, but honored her faith and raised her status to that of a child of God.
The glory of our faith is that our God adopts us into His family with the full status of His sons and daughters. When we accept Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and God, and receive baptism, we are no longer like amoebas, dogs, or unbelievers. We are no longer slaves (Jn 15:15; Gal 4:7). In Jesus, we are children of God. We are heirs of the promises of God (Gal 4:7). We are "sharers of the divine nature" (2 Pt 1:4). Praise You, Jesus! Alleluia!
| PRAYER: | "Lord, 'increase our faith' " (Lk 17:5). |
| PROMISE: | "Happy are you who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways!" –Ps 128:1 |
| PRAISE: | St. Scholastica had the faith of a trusting child as she saw her final request being granted by her loving Father. Her soul was seen ascending by her brother St. Benedict. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College