Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 7,24-30.
Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs."
She replied and said to him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps."
Then he said to her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter."
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
Another story of healing that Jesus had done was with the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman. She was considered as pagan, as far she didn't belong to the people of Israel.
Normally the Rabbis or the Teachers of the Law are not really open to talking with women of a lowly moral status, like with prostitutes and pagans. But Jesus was really different. His ways are motivated not according to the prejudices of the people and to the stereotypes of the moralistic-religious society.
His conversation to the pagan woman turned to be a cross examination of her faith. She then manifested a deep belief that was beyond the cultural conditionings which made Jesus fascinated.
Her response truly was a demonstration of a mature faith which wasn't
just a mere adherence to a religious practice but a strong belief in the person
of the Jesus, to His authority and to His power. The faith of a mother who was
not even a very religious or a pious practicing, but in her heart she had that
strong belief. Her belief that Jesus is the messiah and He can save her daughter. She has that total trust that nothing is impossible to this Rabbi.
The belief that Jesus is Lord and His Lordship is universal. His
goodness and mercy is beyond every obtuse mentality, meaning close religious
mentality. Such way of thinking that one
can be more privileged according to his merits of being so morally upright
and somehow judgmental to others who are
less devout. There's a common misbelief sometimes that one feels to be fortunate because he or she is very devout and God is good to him/her. But to others who have some misfortunes somehow they are not that prayerful or they are not that morally (apparently) righteous. Because the faith of the Greek (pagan) woman manifested that salvation of Jesus is not only "reserved" to those some fundamentalists and bigots, but it's open to everyone who is willing to accept Him as His savior.
The belief that was so powerful of that mother released the diabolic possessed daughter from the torments. After all, there wasn't any moral argumentation of Jesus, his questions to her was all cultural cross-examination of being Greek and Syrophoenician by birth, meaning her condition of not belonging to the "elected people" of Israel; which is a common belief of every hebrew person at that time of Jesus, a kind of - salvific assurance.
Jesus somehow in our prayers put us into a deep inquiry so to know how strong is our faith. If we really believe His Lordship and His work is true.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, your name is Holy,
you are great and almighty.
I believe that nothing is impossible with you.
I come to you with that faith of the pagan mother
desperate due to the suffering of her daughter
who was under the power of the demon.
In you I entrust ….. (the name of the person)
my ….. (the relationship with the person)
and I believe that you can do healing and deliverance.
Healing from the illness and deliverance from
evil spirit who causes suffering.
Thank you Jesus for your salvation.
All glory and worship to you Father and to the
Holy Spirit, the giver of life.
Amen.
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