The Canaanite Woman

When Pascha is delayed, the Church chooses for the Sundays that precede the preparation for Lent, gospel accounts that also give us an overview of the feast from afar. Last Sunday, for example, we read the Gospel of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who wanted to see Jesus. Today, we read the story of the Canaanite woman who came to the Lord asking Him to grant her the healing of her daughter (Matthew 15: 21-28). The story of this woman is the story of the world that God wants to heal from its alienation from Him. The woman does not tell us something that we do not know. Yet, she presents herself to us as a living example of what we do know. Closeness is always possible. This is her experienced eloquence. Arise to Jesus, she says. Whoever you are, rest assured that He will accept you. She says that before Him I knew nothing. He healed my daughter, and He healed me along with her. He healed me of my alienation. In front of Him, I discovered that He sees me close. Jesus does not only give us what we ask for, but Himself as well. He said about me that my faith is great. This is from Him. Everything that pleases Him is from Him. This (woman) is a good companion from today to Pascha.