(Optional Memorial for Our Lady of Lourdes)
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| “The Syrophoenician Woman” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN |
Reading 1: Genesis 2:18-25
The LORD God said:
"It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make a suitable partner for him."
So the LORD God formed out of the ground
various wild animals and various birds of the air,
and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
whatever the man called each of them would be its name.
The man gave names to all the cattle,
all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals;
but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,
and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs
and closed up its place with flesh.
The LORD God then built up into a woman
the rib that he had taken from the man.
When he brought her to the man, the man said:
"This one, at last, is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called 'woman,'
for out of 'her man' this one has been taken."
That is why a man leaves his father and mother
and clings to his wife,
and the two of them become one flesh.
The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.
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Commentary on Gn 2:18-25
This selection continues the Yahwehist creation account with a description of the creation of life. It is important to note that early Near-Eastern peoples felt that the individual who named a person or thing had dominion or control over it. Here we see man naming all the animals in God’s creation, thereby having dominion over them.
The passage concludes with God’s creation of woman as the perfect companion for man. He does so by taking a rib from the man (thus also explaining why there is a “spare rib”). This passage will be familiar to those who attend weddings as it is one of the texts frequently used because of v. 24: “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.”
CCC: Gn 2:18-25 1605; Gn 2:18 371, 1652; Gn 2:19-20 371, 2417; Gn 2:22 369, 1607; Gn 2:23 371; Gn 2:24 372, 1627, 1644, 2335; Gn 2:25 376
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
R. (see 1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Psalm 128 is a song of thanksgiving. It begins here with the typical blessings given to those following and having faith in the Lord. This selection uses the analogy of the family and the blessing it brings to the faithful, using the symbolism of vines and olives, imagery commonly used in sacred scripture.
It also supports the creation of woman and the marriage theme in Genesis 2:18-25. It is the logical extension of the two becoming one flesh and the children flowing from that union.
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Gospel: 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.
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Commentary on Mk 7:24-30
In this selection Jesus has withdrawn from Palestine to escape the persecution of the Pharisees and scribes and to spend time training his disciples. The region they come to is predominantly gentile and sets the scene for his encounter with the Syrophoenician woman.
The exchange recorded in St. Mark’s Gospel is intended to describe the universal nature of the messianic mission. Within the dialogue we see Jesus first refuse to accede to the woman’s request (even though she recognized his authority: “She came and fell at his feet.”). This same pattern of refusal and then acquiescence is found in St. John’s Gospel (John 2:4, John 4:48).
The metaphor being exchanged in this banter refers to the “children” being the Hebrews and the “dogs” a reference to the Gentiles (frequently referred to as such by Hebrews of the day). While this seems out of character for the Lord, our translation leaves out some conversational nuances that soften the dialogue. The word translated as “dogs” in this translation could be more accurately expressed as “pups.” It is also significant that the children and pups are eating at the same table, again expressing the universal nature of the mission of the Messiah.
As in other instances in St. Mark’s Gospel when Jesus cures a Gentile, he does so from a distance. “When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.”
CCC: Mk 7:29 2616
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Homily:
In spite of the way the exchange between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman sounds, the message given is actually one of unity. We hear Jesus refuse the woman who has come to him. She caught him at a very bad time. He had just traveled to Tyre, and he needed a rest, time away from the confrontations with the Pharisees in Palestine. We are told he “wanted no one to know about it.” And here comes this woman, a Gentile, who throws herself at him.
Jesus is true man as well as true God. He became tired just as we do, and curing the sick and casting out demons took considerable effort on his part. So he declines. He has not been as successful with the children of Israel as he had hoped. The gospel he brought had not been well received in his native land, and here comes this Gentile woman making claims on that message of salvation.
Jesus uses a slang expression but softens it. In scripture we hear the word used was “dogs,” however, the Aramaic expression would have been more like pups. The woman persists and successfully uses the metaphor to her own advantage. Jesus relents, and expels the unclean spirit from her daughter.
The clear message from this encounter is that Jesus brought the gift of salvation to everyone, not just a select few. And his call to us is to take up his expression of love and forgiveness and pass it on to others. We find that difficult to do at times. We even find it difficult to express that message to others who are tasked with sharing the same Gospel, our brothers and sisters in Christ.
This then is what the Gospel calls us to do on this day: to bring the message of God’s love to those we meet. To express it in words and actions in a way that cannot be misunderstood. In this way we respond to the Lord as he responds to us – with love and understanding.
Pax
[1] The picture used is
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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