The Canaanite woman was very persistent.  You might ask the question why did she have to beg our Lord?  Well, from what is said it would appear at that point Jesus felt his mission was only to his own people - the Jews.

And - in the eyes of his disciples - how dare she, a woman and a foreigner approach Jesus - a male Jew.  However, she was not to be deterred.  She was not going to be fobbed off - either by Jesus or his disciples.  She was persistent as she had great faith in Jesus - and believed if anyone could cure her daughter it would be him.  And her persistence was rewarded. Her daughter was healed.

So what insight might we gain from this story? In the first instance it rather encourages us to be persistent in our prayers. To have faith enough to believe in a God who answers our prayers.

It’s not that we’re trying to change God’s mind or twist his arm to do something he doesn’t want to do.  It’s that through constant prayer we’re building up a relationship with our Lord. 

And believe it or not becoming more sensitive to the needs of those around us. In other words our compassion and empathy for the suffering of those around us - of our brothers and sisters around the world deepens.  And this sensitivity to the suffering of others will lead us to intercede for the needs of a suffering world.  

No time spent in prayer is wasted.  Because whether we realise it or not - our Lord uses that time to help us become better people.

Amen.

The Reverend Mother Julie Wiseman SSL