My dear brothers and sisters, the heart of God can be moved because God is a person, not a force. This Christian truth shines through in today's Gospel. Jesus had a particular mission to accomplish during his earthly lifetime.
He was to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies and lay the foundation of the Catholic Church. The parameters of this mission did not include Canaanites (ancestral enemies of the Israelites). And yet, Jesus makes an exception to these parameters after his encounter with the Canaanite woman.
She touched his heart because she had what Christ's heart most yearns for: love, faith, and humility. Her love comes across in her self-forgetfulness. She was so concerned for her daughter that she was even willing to make a humiliating spectacle out of herself, tagging along behind a Jewish rabbi in public, screaming to get his attention.
Her faith comes across in how she addresses Jesus. She calls him "Lord" and "Son of David." This shows that although she was a Canaanite, she knew about the Jewish religion and accepted God's promise to send a Messiah. And when he finally stops to listen to her, she falls on her knees and does him homage; she knows she is in God's presence.
She believed in Jesus, so much so, in fact, that Jesus himself compliments her on her faith! Her humility comes across in the way she makes her request. She didn't come to him burning with anger at God for allowing her innocent daughter to be tormented by demons.
She understood that miracles were undeserved gifts from God, just like existence itself. This humble attitude strengthened her, enabling her to absorb the Lord's initial rejection, and then come right back with another petition.
Love, faith, and humility: these are the ingredients for prayer that move the heart of God - a heart that can be moved, because God is a person, not a force.
St Therese Saves a Sinner
Is our own prayer characterized by that kind of love, faith, and humility? When St Therese of Lisieux was just 14 years old, before she had entered the convent, she and her sisters heard about a notorious criminal, a murderer, who was going to be executed.
His case was all over the newspapers at the time because he had led a lifetime of horrendous crime and was vocally defiant and unrepentant. As his execution date approached, Therese and her sister Celine began to pray insistently for his repentance.
They prayed rosaries and novenas and offered Masses. But up until the last day, he refused to see a priest. They kept praying. And not only did they pray for his repentance, but they boldly asked God to give them some kind of a sign that he had repented.
Finally, the execution day arrived. Even as they marched him out of his prison cell to the guillotine, he declined to speak to the priest. They strapped him to the plank and prepared the blade. Suddenly, with his neck already inside the guillotine, a wild look came into his eyes, and he blurted out, "A cross, a cross!"
The priest reached over and held his crucifix up to the criminal's face. The condemned man kissed the crucifix three times, to the utter shock of the spellbound crowd, and then calmly laid down his head. Therese's prayers had been answered.
Prayers offered with real faith are always answered, and we need to remember that whenever we pray - here at Mass included. God doesn't always answer them as we like, but he hears and responds to all of them with his infinite wisdom and limitless love.
The slightest movement of our hearts towards him inspires leaps and bounds in his heart towards us.
Pleasing Christ and Letting Our Hearts Be Moved
Jesus changed his specific plans because his encounter with the Canaanite woman fit into his overall plan - to overcome the power of the devil and win all hearts back to God. This should give us unbridled confidence as we, like the Canaanite woman, bring our needs to the feet of Christ.
Today he will become truly present under the appearance of bread and wine during this holy Mass. And when I [the priest] elevate the host after the words of consecration, all of us will be here on our knees giving homage to our Lord, just like the Canaanite woman.
When that moment comes, let's open our hearts to Christ, showing him as much love, faith, and humility as we can muster. Perhaps we can do that by praying - at that moment of the Mass - passionately for a loved one who is ill or separated from God, as the Canaanite woman did.
Perhaps our prayer will be more personal - asking God to strengthen us for our own struggles during this coming week. However we do it, let's give Christ the pleasure of knowing that we truly believe in him and trust that he can make the crucial difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
And then, when we return to the hustle and bustle of life during the rest of the week, let's make sure that we stay flexible enough to allow the needs of our neighbours to change our personal plans, whenever Christ's overall plan may require it.
Jesus never turns a deaf ear to the cries of our hearts. And so, we should never turn a deaf ear to the often-hidden cries of our neighbours.