The 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This weekend in the Gospel of Matthew, we see the importance of persistence and patience when Jesus healed the daughter of a Canaanite woman. At first, it seemed that Jesus may not help her, but she continued to have faith, and she didn’t stop asking him for his help. Jesus told her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." She could have given up, but she didn’t, and her daughter was healed because of her faith.
Our faith is tested every day with all the distractions the world places in our path. God wants us to remain strong in our faith, and he gives us help. He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us, strengthen us, and teach us patience and perseverance. There may be times when we come to God in prayer, and we may feel like our prayers aren’t being heard or answered, especially when we don’t get an immediate response. Sometimes we need to be persistent and continue to come to him in prayer. He also wants us to be patient and wait for his reply.
God wants us to truly learn what it means to place our trust in him. It is easy to say we do, but showing it can be a challenge at times, especially when we are used to getting what we want immediately at the press of a button. When we are hungry, we can go to the store to get almost any type of food we want, even when it isn’t in season or grown locally. God loves us and cares for us and will always give us what we need when we need it. Let’s persevere as we continue to have faith and trust in him.
Your brother in Christ,
Deacon Manny
