Sermon on the 17th Sunday after Pentecost [2012]
Beloved brothers and sisters into the Lord,
the first evidence of generosity is the prayer for another! For that in prayer we are aware of his real good. And from here, from praying for him…come all the other helpful facts.
This is the first thing which tells us today’s Gospel [Matthew 15, 21-28]…
Because the prayer means assumption of our confrere, the inclusion of him in our desire of well. For if we want the good for all…our prayer means a blessing to others, the sincere desire of salvation for others.
The woman from Canaan [v. 22] prayed as a mother…but also as a sensitive human being to the needs of others.
She asked the Lord the release of her daughter by demonization.
And this is an essential request for our lives! Because the release of demons and our indwelling by the grace of the Most Holy Trinity means the beginning of our salvation. And at our Baptism this happens.
Her prayer requires a theological use. She asked the escape of her daughter from demons. For this reason, the women’s request is theological in the first row and only, in the second row, is a medical request.
And prayer is theological…we must not forget this detail!…because we expect our help from God…for that He is the Giver of our lives and the Doctor of our souls and bodies.
Yes, God works through people!
God works through priests and doctors to our healing.
God’s grace does not exclude medication and medical intervention.
And prayer can be said at home, and on the street, and the hospital, and the Church… and with those who suffer. Because prayer is care, it’s attention, it’s condescending, it’s brotherhood with those who suffer.
But the real prayer is a shout of our being. Because prayer means that we care about others, in real mode and not by facade.
But today’s Gospel tells us not only about prayer…but about continuous prayer, assiduous, that is waiting the God’s mercy.
God seems indifferent towards the pain and the need of the women [v. 24]. Even offensive at address of women because He saw her as a dog [v. 26].
But…the Son of God incarnate had in viewfinder here not the woman…but „the lost sheep of the house of Israel” [v. 24, acc. KJV]…and their arrogance, because Jews considered themselves elected and some others as unclean animals.
And the woman’s faith was greater than the ideologies of his time!
Her faith has destroyed her child’s illness.
For that the true faith is full of love…and authentic love is invincible.
Why we love books and movies by love? Why we believe in good…and we want the good so strongly? Since the foundation of our life is the good, it’s peace, is love, is trust in others…is the good for all.
And we love, in consequence, what we accomplished.
So that, the healing by unloved is made through faith.
The faith in God and the confidence in people are those that get us out from winter of non-communication towards spring of communion and of the dialogue.
Thus we speak about faith that heals and about the dialogue full of confidence, that creates authentic relationships. Because in the orthodox life of Church relationships by faith and love are full of prayer and trust. Amen!