Scraps of Grace
The Canaanite woman came to Jesus for help. Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The woman begged, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Jesus replied, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed. (Matthew 15:24-28)
Inasmuch as there are so many great things to reflect upon in this Gospel passage, they are all about grace. Jesus was indeed sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but there were many who refused to accept Jesus for who He really is – the Son of God. Right before this healing miracle, the scribes and the Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples of breaking the tradition of the elders (Matthew 15:2) Perhaps the Canaanite woman observed that was happening, so she took the chance and said that even dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters. Indeed, graces were falling from the table of the house of Israel, for many had refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah. And there she was, ready and willing to receive the grace that others had rejected.
This Gospel passage is not just about the grace of healing; more importantly, it is about the grace of faith. She called out to Jesus, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!” In doing so, she acknowledged that Jesus was the Anointed One. The Canaanite woman had accepted what the scribes and the Pharisees would not – that Jesus is the awaited Messiah. Jesus praised the faith of the Canaanite woman, for her faith surpassed the faith of the scribes and the Pharisees.
What kind of faith do we have? The kind of faith that we have can be seen in the manner in which we pray. When we pray with humility, trust and openness to God’s will, we pray in faith. When we pray, it is like we are on a road that leads to a two-way fork. One way leads to disappointment and rebellion, and the other way leads to understanding and acceptance. Let us make prayer what it was meant to be – a gift of grace that allows us to grow in faith, hope and love. And don’t forget to beg for the scraps of grace that fall from the others’ tables.
Faith Formation has gone online! Online classes for children, teens and adults are now posted in our church website. Lessons will continue to be added, so check our website frequently. These lessons are designed to provide continuous faith formation for our parishioners and their children in various grade levels. Each lesson will be available in Traditional and Simplified Chinese as well as in English. With the assistance of their parents, students are required to email the answers to the questions listed for each class to their respective teachers. We are relying on the cooperation of students, parents and teachers to make the coming schoolyear a fruitful year of learning for all!
For fiscal year 2020-2021, the goal for our church’s Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is $5,200, instead of the $2,835 which was previously reported. Total donations so far is $3,580. We still need $1,620 to reach our goal. Thank you for your support!
If you have used ink cartridges, don’t throw them away! Please bring them to the church office. Every ink cartridge we recycle gives us $2 off for our next ink purchase. Any size ink cartridge is accepted.