The Woman Who Would Not Leave

Pope Francis said that God does not resist when he is prayed to. Today’s Gospel puts a mother outside the boundary and lets her prove it, one refusal at a time.

A Byzantine fresco of the Canaanite woman before Christ. She kneels in the open with her hands raised while the apostles crowd in behind him, and her daughter is the figure thrashing inside the city walls at right — the reason she came, and the reason she will not go home. In today’s reflection, I’ll explore why her refusal to leave is the whole point.

Dear friends,

From the outset, I have said that Letters from Leo is not a political-first movement. We are formed in the faith of the apostles, and the Sunday Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.

These Sunday readings and the reflections that follow provide us with a perspective on being politically active Christians in today’s world.

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Today’s Readings

“But he did not say a word in answer to her.” — Matthew 15:23

Though Scripture calls her the Canaanite woman, I think our first description of her should be simpler: she is a mother.

We all know mothers who would give up their lives for their children, who love their sons and daughters to a fault. This mother was advocating for her child, and being brushed off by even Jesus was not enough to deter her. She is ignored, talked about in the third person, and given a theological reason why her daughter does not qualify. Still, she refuses to leave.

She goes to her knees, and her whole prayer is three words: “Lord, help me.”

When Jesus seemingly compares her to a dog, she accepts the descriptor and says something that I do not think any of us could imagine saying: “Even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” She is apparently dehumanized by the Son of God, yet she stays.

I do not know how to soften that exchange, and I don’t think we should.

I only know that God is impressed by her resilience. Here’s my evidence.