Divine Teaser meets stubborn faith

That Gentile woman’s stubborn faith – rooted in love for her daughter – was, as it were, tested by the Divine Teaser in today’s Gospel incident (Mt. 15:21-28). Well, so strong was the woman’s faith that she humbled herself like a dog, willing to take even just the crumbs that fell from the master’s table. And so at the end, the Divine Teaser could not resist. He gave in. She won! " ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done to you as you wish.’ And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour." (v. 28).

Stubborn faith, rooted in unconditional love, always wins. Why? Because this is God’s destiny for all of us, provided we choose to follow Christ’s way. We saw this in the lives of the doubting Peter and the doubting Thomas. Remember?

"Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you across the water," Peter said. "Come, Jesus responded, and Peter got out of the boat and started to walk on the water toward Jesus – until he perceived the strong wind, got frightened, and started to sink. After saving Peter from sinking, Jesus gave His punchline: "How little faith you have," Jesus exclaimed, "Why did you doubt?" (Mt. 14:22-33).

Thomas, on his part, said to the apostles, after being told that the resurrected Jesus appeared to them when Thomas was not present: "I will never believe it without probing the nailprints in his hands, without putting my finger in the nailmarks and my hand into his side." A week later, the Risen Lord appeared to Thomas, who exclaimed: "My Lord and my God! Again, the punchline of Jesus: "You have believed because you have seen. Blest are they who have not seen and have believed." (Jn. 20:24-29).

After all that, both Peter and Thomas were able to offer their lives to God and His people, till the very end.

How about us – can we do likewise? Or will we allow our fears, doubts, and lack of faith to paralyze us?

Like this tourist who came too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, lost his footing and plunged over the side, clawing and scratching to save himself. Somehow he was able to grab hold of a small, shrubby bush. Filled with terror, he called out, "Is there anyone up there? Can anyone help me?" He heard a reassuring voice say, "I’m here: the Lord your God."

The man said, "I’m so glad you came along. I can’t hold on much longer." The Lord said, "Before I help you, I want to know if you believe in me." The man answered, "Lord, I certainly believe in you. I go to church every Sunday, sometimes even on Wednesdays. I read the Bible, pray every day, and even put some money in the collection plate."

The Lord replied, "But do you really believe in me?" The man was getting more desperate. "Lord, you can’t believe how much I believe in you. I believe!"

The Lord said, "Good. Now let go of the branch."

The man stammered. "But Lord . . ."

And the voice of the Lord came back, "If you believe in me, let go of the branch."

The man was silent for a minute and then yelled, "Is there anyone else up there?" (P. Wharton).

There. That’s as far as the man’s faith went. What about us? When we are given a particularly heavy cross to carry, do we tend to look for a substitute? When we are given a particularly long journey to take, do we tend to look for a shortcut? If we do, then these are missed opportunities of experiencing God’s miraculous grace. When to hold on. When to let go. When to let God. This is the heart of unconditional faith.

As long as we give our human best, God will take care of the rest. He is ultimately in control. We are not. As God’s people, this is our challenge today, as we continue to suffer through our political-economic crisis. Our leaders from all levels and sectors of society are especially given this challenge and opportunity to trust God completely, as they contribute their human best for the common good of our nation.

At the end of the tunnel, our stubborn faith will win. This is God’s will. Amen.