My daughter is being tormented by an evil spirit. I think the Canaanite people believed that those who were tormented by evil spirits were ignorant of the Creator and worshipped stones.
15:23
(Verse 23.) He did not answer him a word. Not out of Pharisaic pride, nor out of the scorn of the Scribes; but so that he would not seem to be contrary to his own command, by which he had instructed: Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into the cities of the Samaritans (Luke 10:5). For he did not wish to give occasion to the accusers and reserved the perfect salvation of the Gentiles for the time of his passion and resurrection.
And his disciples approached him, saying: Send her away because she cries out after us. At that time, the disciples still ignorant of the mysteries of the Lord, either moved by mercy, or desiring to be free from her persistence, were asking for the Canaanite woman, whom another Evangelist calls the Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7), or wanting to avoid her importunity; because she shouted more frequently not for the purpose of calling a compassionate person, but to call for a harsh physician.
15:24
(Verse 24.) But he answered and said: I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Not that he was not sent also to the Gentiles, but that he was first sent to Israel, so that when they did not receive the Gospel, the migration to the Gentiles might be justified. And he significantly said, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, so that from this passage we may also understand one wayward sheep from another parable.
15:25-26
(Verse 25, 26.) But she came and worshiped him, saying: Lord, help me. He answered and said: It is not good to take the bread of the children and throw it to the dogs. The faith, patience, and humility of the Canaanite woman are preached in this remarkable passage. Faith, by which she believed that her daughter could be healed. Patience, by which she persevered in prayer even when rejected. Humility, by which she compared herself not to dogs, but to puppies. However, the ethnic dogs are called such because of their idolatry, being given to the consumption of blood and carried away by the corpses of the dead into madness. Note that this Canaanite woman persistently called first David her son, then the Lord, and finally worshipped Him as God.
15:27-28
(Verse 27, 28.) But she said: Even so, Lord. For even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus, answering, said to her: O woman, great is your faith: be it done to you as you wish. And her daughter was healed from that hour. I know, she said, that I am not deserving of the bread of the children, nor am I able to receive the whole food; nor to sit at the table with the father; but I am content with the crumbs of the puppies; so through the humility of the crumbs, I may obtain the greatness of the whole bread. Oh, the wonderful change of things! Israel, once a son, now dogs. Because of the diversity of faith, the order of names is changed. Concerning them, it is later said: Many dogs have surrounded me (Ps. 21:17). And: See the dogs, see the evil workers, see the mutilation (Phil. 3). We have heard with the Syrophoenician woman and the woman who had a flow of blood: Your faith is great, let it be done to you as you wish. And: Daughter, your faith has made you well.
15:29-30
(Verse 29, 30.) And when Jesus had passed on from there, he came near the Sea of Galilee; and going up on the mountain, he sat there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the mute, the blind, the lame, the weak, and many others. And they threw them down at his feet. In the place where the Latin interpreter translated, 'weak' is written in Greek as 'κυλλοὺς', which is not a general term for weakness, but the name for a specific infirmity: just as someone is called lame when they limp with one foot, so 'κυλλὸς' is used to describe someone who has a weak hand. We do not have the property of this word. Therefore, the evangelist explained the healings of the others in the following passages, but he was silent about these. For what follows?
15:31
(Verse 31.) And he healed them, so that the crowds marveled, seeing the mute speaking, the lame walking, the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. Concerning the mute, he remained silent, for he had nothing to say in opposition. This is accomplished with one word. Now let us consider the fact that the healed daughter of the Canaanite woman returned to Judea, and to the Sea of Galilee, and went up to the mountain; and like a bird calling its young to fly, she beckoned them, and there she sat, and the crowds gathered around her, bringing with them various afflictions; and after he healed them, he gave them food; and when this work was completed, he got into a boat, and came to the region of Magadan. And ascending the mountain, he sat there: and the crowds approached him. Notice that the mute, the lame, and the blind are led to the mountain, so that they may be healed by the Lord.
15:32
(Verse 32) But Jesus, calling together his disciples, said: I have compassion for the crowd, because they have persevered with me for three days already and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way. He wants to feed those whom he has healed; first, he removes their weakness so that later he can offer food to the healthy. He also calls his disciples and speaks to them about what he is going to do, either to provide an example to the teachers, that they should share their plans with their subordinates and disciples, or so that they understand the magnitude of the miracle from their conversation, responding that they do not have loaves of bread in the desert. He said, 'I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been staying with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.' Therefore, he who hurries to reach the desired dwelling without heavenly bread is in danger. Thus the angel speaks to Elijah: Arise and eat, for you will walk a long way.
15:33-39
(Verse 33 and following) And His disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And He directed the people to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them, and He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over from the fragments, they took up seven baskets full. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And after dismissing the crowd, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan (Μαγδαλά). We have already discussed this sign above, and it is pointless to repeat the same things: let us only dwell on those things that differ. Above we read: When it was evening, the disciples came to him, saying: This is a deserted place (above, XIV, 15), and the rest. Having summoned the disciples, the Lord himself speaks: I have compassion on the crowd, because they have persevered with me for three days already. There, there were five loaves and two fish; here, there are seven loaves and a few fish. There, they recline on the hay; here, on the ground. There, those who eat are five thousand, according to the number of loaves they eat; here, four thousand. There, twelve baskets are filled with the leftover fragments; here, seven baskets. Therefore, in the previous sign, those who were close and near to the five senses, the Lord himself does not remember them, but the disciples remember them in the evening of the neighboring night, and with the sun declining. But the Lord himself remembers and says that he has compassion, and he explains the reason for his compassion: because they have been persevering with me for three days now, and he does not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way. Those who are fed with the sacred seven loaves, that is, with the perfect and complete number, are not five thousand, but four thousand, a number that is always praised, and the square stone does not waver and is not unstable; and for this reason, the Gospels are also consecrated in that number.
16:1-4
(Chapter XVI—Verse 1 and following) And the Pharisees and Sadducees came to him and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from heaven. But he answered and said to them: When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. This is not found in most codices: it is clear that from the arrangement and stability of the elements, both fair and rainy days can be predicted. However, the scribes and Pharisees, who seemed to be experts in the law, could not understand the advent of the Savior from the prophecy of the prophets.
16:5
(Verse 5.) And leaving them, he went away, and when his disciples had come across the sea, they forgot to take bread. He said to them: Leaving behind the scribes and Pharisees, to whom he had said, An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet, he went over the sea correctly, and he followed the peoples of the Gentiles. But what the sign of Jonah means, has already been said above.
16:6-7
(Verses 6, 7.) Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But they were discussing among themselves, saying, 'We did not bring any bread.' He who avoids the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees does not observe the precepts of the Law and the teachings of men, neglecting the traditions in order to fulfill God's commandment.
16:8-12