“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps” – Mark 7:28

Bishop Robert Barron writes, “What’s going on here is interesting and provocative. In her plea to Jesus and his apparent refusal, he is inviting the Syrophoenician woman into the life of discipleship, into following him. She is resisted, not because Jesus is having a bad day, but because he wants the strength of her faith to show itself. This story has become a model of persistence. The woman will not be the last person in this world who will come to Jesus with an urgent petition only to encounter what seems to be a brick wall. Dr. Mary Healy writes, “The clear lesson is that the Lord does hear our prayers, and even his apparent refusals are meant to awaken in us a yet deeper faith, which opens us to receive the gift that he has for us.”

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