August 16

  [media presentation below]

GospelThink

Sunday, August 16, Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

MATTHEW 15:21-28

Rejection and Faith

Prayerthoughts

a. The girl had a “demon.” We are not sure what this means exactly, but we know that there was some affliction in the girl’s life. There are a number of people that I run into day after day who are afflicted with something. Do I try to pay attention to their needs?

b. The person was not Jewish. There are a number of people who are not believers in my faith as I believe. Am I open to their understanding of God?

c. The Lord does not pay any attention to the lady. There are times when I wonder whether the Lord is listening to me. What are some recent times, and perhaps I need to make an act of faith.

d. Jesus seems to insult the lady, probably as a means to test her faith. Is my faith in Jesus a guiding factor in everything that I do?

e. It is obvious that the lady had faith and accepted the insult, but did not lose her belief, and Jesus rewarded her for it. When I am insulted, I should respond with no thought of revenge. Has revenge played a part in the way I behave?

f. My prayerthoughts…

Today I will read Romans 11:13-15,29-32 and write an important thought from it.

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Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

THE PRAYER OF PETITION

+ Let’s say that you were the wife of a professional baseball manager at the height of his career

- and let’s say that you prayed all your life that he, the person that you loved, would be less involved with baseball and more involved with you, and it never happened

- and let’s say further that your husband, the baseball manager was struck with a brain tumor and died within a very short amount of time

- as one studies that scene, that slice of life, a person without faith would have to conclude that the prayer was not answered

- but not Nancy Howser, wife of Dick Howser, manager of KC Royals who was manager of the Royals in 1985 when they won the World Series the first time—she was a person of faith

+ In front of 40,000 people at Kaufman—then Royals—Stadium, Nancy Howser spoke her great faith

- and gave a Christian lesson to baseball fans on the prayer of petition that was exactly what the Canaanite woman portrayed in today’s Gospel

- 1 – in the Gospel, the Canaanite woman was persistent

- Jesus’s disciples complain that she keeps calling out after them

- Nancy Howser went into her prayer knowing that it would be answered; she was persistent—she kept calling out to the Lord

- 2 – the Canaanite woman had to live with the fact that the prayer is not answered at first

- in fact, it seems that Jesus “toys” with her, ignoring her, and rubs in the fact that she is not a Jewish person, almost telling her to go away, something his disciples probably did

- Nancy Howser had to live with the fact that her husband loved baseball more than he loved her

- 3 – and this is the important point—the Canaanite woman withstood the criticism, even to the point of arguing with Jesus, and is finally granted her request because she was a person of faith

- Nancy Howser studied what happened in light of her faith—

- what to many was the failure of prayer was to her the answer to prayer

- her words:

“We had in many ways a wonderful year. We had a chance to be together, we had a chance to live and to love and to share and to cry, to laugh, but the most important thing that we had a chance to do was to re-dedicate our lives to Jesus and develop and grow in faith.”

- it always has impressed me that the fans applauded that statement

- she continued:

“There are many of us and many of you who prayed for Dick’s healing and we prayed for a miracle. And I don’t want anyone to be disappointed because every day we had together was an answer to our prayer and every day we had together was another miracle.”

- to Nancy Howser, the prayer of petition worked

- because she looked at it as a person of faith

+ The most important part of the prayer of petition is spoken by Jesus today:

Woman, great is your faith.

- you and I pray for things all the time

- as we do it, our prayer of petition should have these elements

1 – we go in to prayer, knowing that it will be answered somehow, and we are persistent with it

2 – we live with the fact that the prayer is not answered the way we want, almost like we are being “toyed with” by God

3 – but most importantly, we understand what happens with the eyes of faith, maybe not in the way we thought or even wanted, but knowing that the prayer is answered, and it will always be for the good

+ As I say, you and I pray to God for things all the time

- we don’t have the slightest idea how the prayer of petition works

- but we know that it will because Jesus told us to do it

- a person who really believes that, will be a person of faith, and will see and understand the answer that God gives.