The deeper our prayer becomes, the more our consciousness expands, which, in turn, expands our conscience. Our prayer, our relationship with Christ, begs for expansion, evolution, development. In his humanity, Jesus grew and expanded in how he saw his mission and purpose, which only found its ultimate purpose as he surrendered his life on the Cross. His relationship with the Father was expansive, to the point in which he knew his mission was much larger than he imagined.
A woman, a foreigner, approaches Jesus begging him to help her daughter possessed by a demon. Her daughter needs to be free from that which enslaved her. Jesus actually responded to this woman’s request flippantly!!!
“It is not right to take food for the children and feed it to the dogs.” He was basically saying that he was sent first and foremost to the children of Israel. She was having none of this logic!!!
She kept pleading with him saying that even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table. This whole scene is troubling for us because it presents an image of Jesus that is unkind and deeply dismissive . How could he respond in such a cruel manner?
The woman became an instrument of expansion for Jesus, yes, even Jesus needed to change the way he saw his mission. The very Father who loved Jesus so deeply was calling him to a deeper place, and the woman, a foreigner, became the human instrument of this expansion.
How is your prayer prodding you to evolve, change, in how you are living your life? What image of God, Church, religion do you need to let go of, allowing them to stretch your consciousness, broadening your vision?
Peace,
Fr. Frank