Dear La Côte family and friends,
Our gospel passage last Sunday was about Peter stepping out of a boat and walking in faith towards Jesus on the water. But fear overtook him and he began to sink. This Sunday, our gospel passage (Matthew 15:21-28) is about a Canaanite woman who approached Jesus with determined faith, refusing to be discouraged even when Jesus appeared to reject her.
The evangelist, Matthew, provides two very different encounters with Jesus. Peter’s faith was real but fragile. The Canaanite woman’s faith was persistent and resilient. Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!” The woman also cried out for mercy, and eventually heard Jesus’ commendation, “Woman, great is your faith!”
Both narratives remind us that faith is not the absence of fear, doubt or difficulty. Faith is the willingness to keep turning towards Christ. Sometimes, like Peter, we need Christ to rescue us when we feel ourselves sinking. At other times, like the Canaanite woman, we are called to keep trusting and praying when the answer seems delayed.
In both passages, Jesus meets people where they are. His grace reaches beyond fear, failure and even the boundaries people create between each other. The invitation for us is to keep our eyes and hearts turned towards Christ. Like the Canaanite woman, we can continue to bring our deepest needs and longings to Jesus, trusting that his mercy is wider than we can imagine.
Betty Talbot
