My dear brothers and sisters, I pray all is well with you and yours today. As you join me in this reflection, I would ask you to keep two words in mind – 1) Perseverance and 2) Grit. Both words point toward the virtue of courage. And on a deeper level, our disposition in the face of adversity (our strength to continue to exercise our will in the face of hardship). In fact, “Grit” has become the new trend word for Human Resource departments when recruiting people. It seems industry is now looking for those people who can work through an environment of adversity. This is similar to what today’s readings are saying to us about the disposition the Lord should find us in when he comes to bestow his mercy and reward upon us.
Stronger Through the Struggle
When the prophet Jeremiah talks about God coming to the tribes of Israel, we see that the people “escaped the sword” and “found favor in the desert”. If they were under the sword or living in the desert, life was not a happy time; yet they stuck it out, remained faithful and surely became stronger through the struggle. And for that the Lord restored them, and the people rejoiced.
Here we see a gradual but significant transition – the breaking down, strengthening and restoration of the tribes of Israel. Think of it as something people go through when they join a team or enlist in the military. People from all backgrounds are taken through a transition that makes them stronger and united in mission at the end of the process where they are rewarded with a place on the team or a rank, specialty, and commission. The Lord calls us through a similar process in our Christian faith. He allows us to experience a certain amount of adversity and hardship (grit) to see if we will remain faithful (perseverance) and when He comes to our aid, we are stronger and better attuned to His mercy and love which leads us to rejoice.
Humility
This is similar to what we see the Canaanite Woman dealing with in the Gospel reading. Her daughter is being “tormented by a demon” and the woman is an outsider to the Jews, so she was probably treated poorly personally by the Jewish people. Moreover, the apostles ask Jesus to run her off and Jesus ignored her at first. Then to add insult to injury, Jesus compared her to a “dog” backhandedly. And if that’s not enough, imagine how she must have been treated by her own people as they watched her seeking out this Jew for help? Yet she took all of this in humility with great perseverance. She showed true “Grit” which the Lord was looking for in her. If you noticed even though Jesus referred to her in the context of being a dog, she accepted that and replied to Him as “Master” out of humility. Her faith through the struggles of her life still saw Jesus as the Master who could cure her daughter. And for that she received the mercy she requested. This is a great lesson for us.
It is the message to not lose faith when you are deep in a struggle. This comes through especially when something we are attached to (whether a loved one, a career or some favorite possession) is taken away from us and we find ourselves in a dark place. Do we lash out and abandon our relationship with God or do we dig our heels in and cling more closely to Him?
The Heart God is Looking For
I will leave you with this closing example from my childhood that highlights the heart God is looking for in us. Picture if you can (spoiler alert) the final scene in the movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”? Charlie and Grandpa Joe (the last remaining contestants) are standing in Willy Wonka’s office after completing the factory tour. Wonka is at his desk writing feverishly while ignoring them. Charlie and Grandpa Joe are like “WHAT ABOUT THE LIFETIME SUPPLY OF CHOCOLATE?”. Wonka spins around, dresses them down about contaminating the “Fizzy Lifting Drinks” production line. And says to them, “YOU GET NOTHING, YOU LOSE, GOOD DAY…”!!! Grandpa Joe’s reaction is to be spiteful and give Wonka’s secret blockbuster candy idea away to the competition. Yet Charlie remains faithful by returning the secret candy, staying true to his promise to Mr. Wonka. That faithfulness gains Charlie the ultimate reward. Not just the lifetime supply of chocolate, but the ownership rights to the whole factory. Therefore, remain faithful to the Lord through all your hardships. For your reward is seeing the Lord face-to-face in Heaven and how sweet it will be!!!
Peace and Blessings
