August
16, 2026
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081626.cfm
Tanya
Rybarczyk
Oh woman, great is your
faith!
I wonder… what is Jesus
speaking to when he says this? What is he responding to in this woman,
in this moment, when he acknowledges her “great faith”?
As Easter people in our
time and place, with 2000 years of theology behind us, it’s easy to default to
an understanding of faith as belief in Jesus: belief in him
as the incarnate one, as the son of God, the Word of God, believing in him
as the Christ. As such, faith becomes an internal stance, a directional
focus, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. But this clearly isn’t what Jesus is
focused on, at least not this story. If it was, he would have granted the
Canaanite woman’s request as soon as she addressed him: “Lord, son of David,
have mercy on me.” But in fact he doesn’t; he first ignores her, and then,
after the disciples call on him to send her away, he dismisses her as not being
part of his flock. Despite her calling him Lord, Jesus claims he is not hershepherd.
Whether Jesus really
believes this and needs to grow his own understanding, or is purposely inviting
the conversation that follows, or is a momentarily tired and grumpy human being
not wanting to be bothered, this woman is clearly prepared to counter any
obstacle for the sake of her daughter. So when Jesus calls her a dog, a common
slur referring to gentiles, she is ready with a response, even as she pays him
homage. If you look at the Greek, what she says to him is in effect: “even the
little dogs – the pets -- make a meal of the crumbs that the children give
them.”
This brings me
immediately back to when my youngest niece was six, and we were visiting our
in-laws in their home. Their black lab puppy Lucy was begging at the table, and
my sister-in-law, who is as formidable as they come, told us that their family
“NEVER, EVER feeds the dog anything from the table.” Not 3 minutes later I saw
my 6-year-old niece, fast as lightning flip some food to Lucy. When she
realized I saw, she looked at me wide eyed, finger over her mouth, silently
begging me not to tell.
When this woman answers
Jesus, she is pointing to the natural compassion of children. She is begging
Jesus (who elsewhere asks us to come to him as a little child!), to have the
compassion that a child has for their little dog…to give her the crumb, believing
that the crumb will be enough, and arguing for the truth that all are sustained
by God, that all are meant to fall under Christ’s care. THIS is when Jesus
praises her great faith! This woman speaks forth compassion – fights for it on
behalf of her daughter -- and her daughter is healed!
Friends, we know this
woman, don’t we? We’ve seen her: in our friends, our mothers, our daughters,
our sisters. We’ve been her! She is the mother who will
walk barefoot over broken glass to get her daughter the care she needs; someone
who fights for years for the life of her son or brother lost to addiction; that
mama bear that goes up against school systems, and justice institutions and
political machines so that her child and all who follow after might be raised
in a more equitable, compassionate community. I think of immigrant and refugee
moms, shepherding their children literally across countries to begin life in a
foreign land in relative safety. We know her. We know the late nights, and the
exhaustion, the willingness to grovel, the hidden tears, the worry and the
struggle. We know the prayers whispered in the middle of the night and also at
noon, and what it is like to be consumed by a compassion that fuels persistence
and resourcefulness and fierceness and strength.
Pope Francis famously
said, compassion is the language of God. And he was careful to note that
compassion is not the same as pity, but a force that, when it takes hold of us,
propels us, he says, “to get involved in the problems of others.” He said
“compassion takes us along the path to true justice… and this always saves us
from selfishness, from indifference, from our own closure.” (Homily at Sept 17,
2019 Mass) This woman, out of compassion for her daughter, speaks the language
of God’s heart to God’s son, and he esteems it as FAITH!
Friends, imagine what
might happen if we fully embraced and embodied this concept
of faith! Imagine first how we would feel if credited ourselves with “great
faith” on those days when getting out of bed is hard, but knowing Christ is
with us, we rise and try to be love in the world for another day, even during
those messy times, or those times when things look dark. Sometimes, this looks
and feels like exhaustion, and it might feel our faith is the size of a mustard
seed…but we know what Christ says about that!
And then imagine what
healing we might bring forth into the world if, like our Canaanite woman, we
manifest a compassion that propels us to fight for justice on behalf of those
we are called to love, which, according to our gospel is EVERYONE, but particularly,
according to our Church’s teaching, those who are tormented by demons of their
own, lost, hurting, disempowered, silenced, and especially those we may not
immediately “see” or recognize as part of our neighborhood, our Church, our
“flock.”
Friends, to keep our
eyes fixed on the least of these IS to keep our eyes
fixed on Jesus. In them is where he is found. To show compassion, to get
“involved in their lives,” to have them in mind when decisions are being made
or votes are being cast, is to get involved in the life of God. It is to speak
God’s language. And this, my friends, is what Christ himself credits as great
faith.
Tanya Rybarczyk is a preacher, writer, minister and retreat
leader who specializes in adult faith formation, Catholic contemplative prayer
practices and spiritual caregiving. Tanya ministered as a Pastoral Associate at
Saint Cecilia Parish, Boston, as the Director of Spiritual Care at Elizabeth
Seton Residence in Wellesley, MA, and as a Program Assistant for Ignatian
Volunteer Corps, New England. Tanya was an adjunct retreat team member at Holy
Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT, and continues to speak
and offer guided retreats and workshops at Parishes and Spirituality Centers in
New England and throughout the Pacific Northwest. She is currently part of the
inaugural cohort of PROCLAIM, a preaching formation program that
equips and supports women as ministers of the Word and preachers.
Tanya’s has written and preached for America Magazine, US Catholic, and LTP. She holds Masters Degrees
in Pastoral Ministry as well as in English. Tanya currently lives in the
Pacific Northwest outside of Portland, Oregon with her family, and enjoys
hiking, paddle-boarding, exploring coffee shops with her daughter, and working
to help create a Church that fully embraces women’s spiritual gifts and
callings.
