SERMO 77
OF THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL MT 15, 21-28
"Jesus, having departed from Gennesaret, withdrew to the regions."
"Thyrea and Sidon, and behold, a Canaanite woman" and so forth
The Canaanite woman, an example of humility.
This Canaanite woman, who was commended to us by the reading of the Gospel, provides us an example of humility and the path of piety: she shows how to rise from humility to great heights. However, she was not, as it appears, from the people of Israel, from whom are the Patriarchs, the Prophets, and the ancestors of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh; from whom is the Virgin Mary herself, who gave birth to Christ. Therefore, this woman was not from that people, but was from the Gentiles. For, as we have heard, the Lord withdrew to the regions of Tyre and Sidon, and a Canaanite woman from those territories came out and urgently sought the favor of curing her daughter, who was grievously tormented by a demon. Tyre and Sidon were not cities of the people of Israel, but of the Gentiles; although close to that people. Therefore, she cried out eagerly to receive the favor and persistently knocked: and she was ignored, not so that mercy might be denied, but so that her desire might be kindled; and not only that her desire might be kindled but, as I said before, that her humility might be commended. Therefore, she cried out as if to a Lord who did not hear her, but who was silently arranging what he was going to do. The disciples interceded for her and said, "Dismiss her, for she cries out after us." And He said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
How Christ was sent only to the Israelites.
Here arises the question of these words: How do we come to the fold of Christ from the Gentiles if He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel? What does such a deep purpose of this mystery mean, that while the Lord knew why He came, namely to have a Church among all the Gentiles, He said He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel? Therefore, we understand His presence in His body, His birth, the exhibition of His miracles, and the power of His resurrection had to be shown among that people. Thus it was ordained, so it was commended from the beginning, this was foretold, this was fulfilled: because Christ Jesus had to come to the Jewish people to be seen, to be killed, and to gain from them those whom He had foreseen beforehand. For that people were not condemned but sifted. There was a multitude of chaff there, there a hidden dignity of grains: there what was to be burned, there what was to fill the granary. For from where did the Apostles come if not from there? From where Peter? From where the others?
Saul changed into Paul.
Whence Paul himself, first Saul? That is, first proud, later humble. For when he was Saul, his name was derived from Saul. But Saul was a proud king: in the kingdom of David, he persecuted the humble. Thus when Saul, who later became Paul, then indeed proud, then a persecutor of the innocent, then a devastator of the Church, had received letters (as if burning with zeal for the Synagogue and pursuing the Christian name) from the priests to bring those he found who were Christians to suffer punishments. As he proceeds, as he pants for slaughter, as he thirsts for blood, by the heavenly voice of Christ the persecutor was struck down, and the preacher was raised up. This fulfilled what is written in the prophet: I will strike, and I will heal. For God strikes down what exalts itself in man against God. The physician is not impious who strikes the swelling, who cuts or burns the rot. He inflicts pain: he inflicts it, but so as to lead to health. He is troublesome: but if he were not, he would not be useful. Therefore Christ struck down Saul with one word, raised Paul: that is, struck down the proud, raised the humble. For what was the reason for changing his name, that when he was called Saul before, later he wanted to be called Paul; except that he recognized the name Saul in himself, when he persecuted, as being of pride? Therefore he chose a humble name, that he should be called Paul, that is, the least. For Paul means the least. Paul is nothing other than small. Of which name already glorying, and commending humility: I, he says, am the least of the Apostles. Whence, therefore, wherefrom this one, except from the people of the Jews? Hence the other Apostles, hence Paul, hence those whom Paul himself commends as having seen the Lord after the resurrection. For he says he was seen by about five hundred brothers at once, of whom many remain until now, but some have fallen asleep.
The Jews, having heard Peter, were converted.
From that people, even those who, when Peter was speaking, proclaiming the passion, resurrection, and divinity of Christ, had received the Holy Spirit, when all those upon whom the Holy Spirit came spoke in the tongues of all nations, were pricked in spirit, those who heard from the people of the Jews sought counsel for their salvation, understanding themselves guilty of the blood of Christ: that they themselves had crucified Him, they themselves had killed Him, in whose name they saw so many miracles being performed, they saw the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, seeking counsel, they received the response: Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and your sins will be forgiven. Who would despair of having their sins forgiven when the crime of killing Christ was pardoned for the guilty? Some among the Jewish people converted: they converted and were baptized. They approached the Lord's table and, believing, drank the blood they had shed in their rage. But how they converted, how clearly and perfectly, is told by the Acts of the Apostles. For they sold all their possessions and laid the prices of their belongings at the Apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as they had need: and no one said that anything was his own, but they had all things in common. And they had, as it is written, one soul and one heart in God. Behold the sheep of which He said: I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. For He showed His presence to them, and while being crucified by them, He prayed, saying: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. The physician understood that the mindless ones, in a frenzy, were killing the physician, and by killing the physician, they did not know they were making a remedy for themselves. For by the death of the Lord, we are all healed, redeemed by His blood, freed from hunger by the bread of His body. This presence Christ showed to the Jews. Therefore He said: I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel: so that He might show the presence of His body to them; not to neglect and overlook the sheep He had among the Gentiles.
Christ was not sent to the nations, but he sent them.
For he did not go to the Gentiles himself, but sent his disciples. And there was fulfilled what the prophet said: A people whom I have not known, served me. See how high, how evident, how explicit the prophecy: A people whom I have not known, that is, to whom I have not shown my presence, served me. How? It follows: By the hearing of the ear, they obeyed me: that is, not by seeing, but by hearing they believed. Therefore, greater is the praise of the Gentiles. For they saw, and killed: the Gentiles heard, and believed. But for the calling and gathering of the Gentiles, that what we have just sung may be fulfilled: Gather us from among the Gentiles, that we may give thanks to your name, and glory in your praise, Paul the apostle was sent. That least one made great, not by himself, but by him whom he persecuted, was sent to the Gentiles, from a robber to a shepherd, from a wolf to a sheep. That least apostle was sent to the Gentiles, and labored much among the Gentiles, and through him the Gentiles believed. His letters are his witnesses.
The daughter of the synagogue leader, and a woman suffering from bleeding.
You have this most sacredly figured in the Gospel. A certain daughter of the synagogue ruler had died, and her father was asking the Lord to go to her: he had left her sick and in danger. The Lord was going to visit and heal the sick girl: meanwhile, she was announced dead, and it was said to the father: "The girl is dead, do not trouble the teacher anymore." But the Lord, who knew he could raise the dead, did not take away hope from the despairing man and said to the father: "Do not fear, only believe." He proceeded toward the girl: and on the way among the crowds, as she could, a certain woman who suffered from a flow of blood and had spent all that she had on doctors in vain because of that long illness, touched the hem of his garment and was healed. And the Lord said: "Who touched me?" The disciples, who did not know what had been done and saw him pressed by the crowds and were concerned about one who had lightly touched him, answered: "The crowd presses you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’" And he said: "Someone touched me." For these press upon me, but she touched me. Many therefore press against the body of Christ harassingly, few touch it healthily. He said, "Someone touched me." For I felt power go out from me. And when she saw that she was not hidden, she fell down before his feet and confessed what had been done. After this, he went on, reached where he was going, and found the girl, the daughter of the synagogue ruler, dead, and raised her.
The account of those things, although truly done, is nevertheless a figure.
Indeed, it happened, and it was fulfilled as it is told: but nevertheless, even the things that were done by the Lord were significant, as if they were visible words, so to speak, and meaningful. This is most evident in the fact that He sought fruit on the tree out of season, and because He did not find any, He cursed the tree, making it wither. This action, unless taken symbolically, seems foolish: firstly, to have sought fruit on that tree when it was not the season for any tree to bear fruit; secondly, if it were the season for fruit, not having fruit would be the fault of the tree? But because it signified that He was seeking not only leaves but also fruit, that is, not only words but also deeds of men; by making it wither where He found only leaves, He signified the punishment of those who can speak good things but do not want to do good deeds. Thus, also here. For it is undoubtedly a mystery. The all-knowing One says: Who touched Me? The Creator, appearing like an unknowing one, asks not only who knew this but also who foresaw other things. There is certainly something that Christ speaks to us, signifying through the mystery.
What is represented by those things?
The daughter of the ruler of the synagogue signified the people of the Jews, for whom Christ came, who said: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman who suffered from a flow of blood symbolized the Church from the Gentiles, to whom Christ had not been sent by the presence of his body. He was going to her, intending her salvation: she intervened, touched the hem as if he were unaware, that is, she was healed as if by someone absent. He said: "Who touched me?" as if he were saying, "I do not know this people. The people whom I did not know served me. Someone touched me. For I felt power go out from me," that is, the Gospel sent forth filled the entire world. The hem, a small part and the end of the garment, was touched. Consider the garment of Christ as representing the Apostles. There, the hem was Paul: that is, the last and the least. For he said both of himself: "I am the least of the Apostles." For he was called after all, believed after all, healed more than all. The Lord was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But because even the people whom he did not recognize were to serve, and were to hear about him through the hearing of the ear, nor was he silent about them there. The same Lord said in another place: "I have other sheep that are not of this fold; it is necessary for me also to bring them, that there may be one flock and one shepherd."
The perseverance of the Canaanite woman in asking.
Then that woman was: therefore she was not despised, but deferred. He said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." And she, shouting, persisted, persevered, knocked, as if she had already heard, "Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." She insisted, she knocked. For even the Lord when he said these words: "Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you;" had previously said: "Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine; lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you apart:" that is, after the scorn of your pearls, they may even be troublesome to you. Do not therefore throw to them what they despise.
Why nations dogs.
And how do we discern (as if they were responding) who are the swine, who are the dogs? This was demonstrated in that woman. For to that insistent woman he replied thus: It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. You are a dog, you are one of the Gentiles, you worship idols. But what is more familiar to dogs than to lick stones? Therefore, it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. If she had left after these words, she would have approached as a dog and departed as a dog: but by knocking, she was made a human from a dog. For she persisted in asking, and by that very reproach, she showed humility and obtained mercy. For she was neither upset nor angry that she was called a dog while asking for a benefit, pleading for mercy: but she said: Yes, Lord; you have called me a dog; clearly, I am a dog, I recognize my name; Truth speaks: but on that account, I should not be repelled from the benefit. Indeed a dog: but even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. I desire a small and insignificant benefit: I do not intrude at the table, but I seek the crumbs.