De muliere Chanancea et ejus fllia
The Gentile Woman's Approach
Jesus withdraws to the territory of the Gentiles, where a Canaanite woman seeks him out, signifying the soul's departure from the borders of sin.
Leaving behind the Scribes and Pharisees—those critics who were so ungrateful—Jesus left the region of the Jews and withdrew into the territory of Tyre and Sidon, so that he might heal the Tyrians and Sidonians and do good to the Gentiles. Tyre and Sidon were cities of the Canaanites and Gentiles, yet they were situated in the Promised Land, near Mount Lebanon in the heart of the sea, because the children of Israel were unable to completely drive out and exterminate the Gentiles from the land of promise. And look: when he had entered a certain house for a rest from the labor of his journey, a Gentile woman approached him—one not instructed by the Prophets and the Law, a Canaanite by nation, and a Syrophoenician by race. The Canaanites once held Syria and Phoenicia, so she is called a Syrophoenician because she descended from the Syrians and Phoenicians. Syria is, of course, the general name for the province, while Phoenicia is the name of a specific, smaller territory located within that province; thus, it is combined into 'Syrophoenician,' meaning someone born from that specific territory. Having left those borders, she departed not only from the cities for the sake of the forgiveness of sins, but also from the borders themselves through distance and the avoidance of occasions for sin, because this took place in the territory of the Gentiles where the woman was following Jesus. The woman’s departure from those borders—the borders of the Gentiles and of sin—signifies the sinful soul turning away from the boundaries of sin through penance. It isn't enough for a person to simply turn away from sins; they must also depart from the borders of sin, which are the occasions and causes of sinning. As Augustine says: 'To depart from the borders of sin is to cut off the causes of sin and to grant no access to their suggestions.' It should be noted that when the Lord said above, 'Do not go into the way of the Gentiles'—that is, to preach—this command forbids the invitation, not the reception, should they come. Thus, the Lord did not invite the woman outwardly, but he received her when she came. This is signified in the arrival of the Magi, because they were received by the Lord as the first fruits of the Gentiles.
A Cry for Mercy
The woman cries out for mercy for her tormented daughter, demonstrating profound faith in Jesus as both Lord and Son of David.
For this woman had heard of the reputation and miracles of Jesus; therefore, she firmly believed that he could heal her daughter. So she cried out, saying to him, "Have mercy on me," because she was miserable; and in her saying "on me," the intensity of her affection is clear, for she counts the suffering of another—namely, her daughter—as her own; every leader ought to act this way; Lord, because of your divine nature... /! David, because of his humanity, but at the same time: "Lord, Son of David," because of the person united in two natures. It is as if to say: You have the power from your divinity, because you are powerful, Lord; you have the will from your humanity, because of the gentleness of David; and you have the commission from the union, because God was made the Son of David for this reason: that he might save us. She calls him the Son of David because she had heard that the Christ promised to the Jews would descend from the lineage of David. The great faith of the Canaanite woman is noted here, because she confesses Jesus to be true God and true man: she believes him to be God when she calls him Lord, and she believes him to be man when she calls him the Son of David. She demands nothing based on merit, but begs only for the mercy of God, saying: "Have mercy on me," etc. It’s as if she were saying: I don’t plead my own merit, I don’t ask for justice, and I don’t overlook my own failings; rather, I ask for a favor, and that is why I say: Have mercy on me. Hence Chrysostom says: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.” What a remarkable confession! The Evangelist makes her a teacher, announcing both His divinity and His dispensation; for she confesses His lordship and His Incarnation: “Have mercy on me.” You see the wisdom of this woman who says: “Have mercy on me.” “I have no awareness,” she says, “of good works, nor any confidence in a righteous life.” I take refuge in mercy, where judgment ceases; I take refuge in mercy, where there is unspeakable salvation: Have mercy on me. It’s a brief statement, but it contains an immense ocean of kindness; for where mercy is requested, all good things are contained therein—so says Chrysostom. And to move Him all the more to compassion, she describes the whole of her sorrow, saying: “My daughter—not a servant, not a stranger, but my daughter, which makes it all the more painful for me—is cruelly tormented, not by just any pain, but by a demon.”1 —a condition that is more dangerous for her. In doing so, she reveals her wounds to the Physician, showing Him both the extent and the nature of the sickness that oppresses her.
The Test of Persistence
Jesus tests the woman's faith through silence and rebuke, yet she persists in humility, ultimately securing a promise of grace.
Jesus, however, did not answer her a word—not out of indignation, but to test her constancy and to make it manifest once tested, and so that through her perseverance in prayer, her faith and devotion might be shown to be all the more worthy for having been heard. And in that silence, according to Augustine, Christ left the house with his disciples, whom the woman followed along the road, nonetheless pressing on and persevering, crying out so much that the disciples—ignorant of the mystery, moved by mercy, and overcome by the woman's persistence—begged on her behalf, saying, "Send her away, for you are not answering her, because she is crying out after us, driven by the distress that holds her in its grip." "Do what she asks, and let her go," for they were moved to this, seeing her faith and devotion. Jesus, however, answered, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," that is, to the Jews who had perished—namely, by falling away from God through infidelity; it was to them that he was bound to come first, as he had been promised to them. In this, he avoids causing scandal to the Jews as much as lies within him, and renders them inexcusable. He is speaking of his mission to preach in his own person, because he was not sent except to the Jews first and personally, but consequently, and through the Apostles, to the Gentiles; and therefore, as their Apostle, he was sent primarily to the Jews, and in his own person he preached and performed miracles only among them, unless in some case he acted otherwise for a special reason, to show that the Church was to be founded in the faith of the Gentiles, as is held here and above, where Christ preached to the Samaritans who received him devoutly; after the death of Christ, however, the faith was preached publicly to the Gentiles. But that miserable woman pursues mercy; she isn't embarrassed by rejection, she cries out persistently, and she worships the Savior with the adoration of latria, saying: "Lord, help me." She asks to be helped, for she considers her daughter's infirmity to be her own, and consequently, her healing as well. It's as if to say: "If I haven't been one until now, I want to be one of God's sheep now; as a sign of this, I adore you as a sheep adores its shepherd. And so, Lord, help me, just as a shepherd helps his own weak and sick sheep." He answered and said: "It is not good, because it is against the order of justice and even of nature to take and carry off the bread—that is, the word of God and salvation, or the teaching and miraculous work—of the children, that is, the Jews; because these were promised to the Jews as spiritual children on account of their worship of the one God; and to throw it to the dogs, that is, to give it to the Gentiles, who before their conversion were called dogs because of their uncleanness, their idolatry, and their cruelty toward the saints." But she said—behold the humility of the woman, which is magnified all the more as the rebuke was greater, and how great it was is clear from three things: she was called neither a daughter nor worthy of bread, but rather a dog—and she conceded everything, from which follows: "Yes, Lord." It's as if to say: "You speak the truth, because I am a dog." "You call me a dog; I want to be your dog. Therefore, feed me as your dog, because I cannot leave the table of my Lord." The Lord's dogs don't drive them away; and if they are driven away through one door, they return through another. If, therefore, I am a dog, you shouldn't drive me away from you; and if you do drive me away, I will immediately return to you: for even the little dogs eat from the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. It is as if to say: "Lord, I don't ask for the bread, but for a crumb, because what I'm asking for is like a small crumb to you; and since it's the custom for masters to give at least the crumbs to their dogs and puppies, please give me this crumb I'm asking for—namely, the healing of my daughter." Or, "Even so, Lord, this is good in this instance." Therefore, there's no contradiction between Christ's word and the woman's, because Christ's word must be understood as not being regular or universal, since Christ was the Apostle to the Jews; but the woman's word must be understood in this specific case, namely, because of the devotion of the one asking, and to show the future founding of the Church of the Gentiles: for even puppies eat, etc. It is as if to say: "If puppies receive some small things—that is, the crumbs falling from the food given to the children—then the Gentiles also ought to receive at least some small portion of Christ's benefits." From this, it can be understood in this way: for even puppies—that is, the unclean and wretched Gentiles—eat, or rather, ought to eat, of the crumbs, that is, of the leftovers that fall from the table of their masters, the Jews, for whom the table of Scripture, the dishes of miracles, and other things pertaining to our salvation have been set. It is as if to say: "We ought to have some crumb of your generosity." Therefore, even if you don't want to do for us the various miracles you do for the Jews, at least do one: heal my daughter. I don't ask for the whole bread with the children at the Father's table, but for the crumbs and leftovers under his table with the puppies. It is as if to say: "Not relying on my own dignity, but only on your mercy, I ask for your grace." Let this likeness of the bread and the dog be kept in me; and if I am unworthy for you to offer the whole loaf, grant me at least a crumb by healing my daughter, which will be counted as a crumb in comparison to the miracles you have already performed. Chrysostom says of this: "Observe the woman's patience and humility; for God calls the Jews children, and them masters. She wasn't pained by the praise given to her enemies, nor was she bothered by the insult directed at her; rather, she humbled herself even more in that first part." For God calls the Gentiles dogs, and she calls them puppies; he spoke of the bread, she spoke of the table. And so Jerome says: "How wonderful is the faith, patience, and humility of the Church in the person of the Canaanite woman!" Faith, because she believes her daughter can be healed; patience, because she persists in her prayers even after being rebuffed so many times; humility, because she compares herself not to the dogs, but to the puppies. "I know," she says, "that I don't deserve the children's bread, nor to sit at the table with the father; but I am content with the puppies' leftovers, so that through the humility of the crumbs I may come to the greatness of the whole loaf." So says Jerome. Notice here the woman's threefold petition. In the first, she asks to be set free, saying: "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David"; in the second, she asks for help, saying: "Lord, help me"; in the third, she asks to be satisfied, saying: "For even the dogs eat," and so on. In the first, she confesses that she is wretched, and so she says: "Have mercy"; in the second, that she is weak, and so she adds: "Help me"; in the third, that she is a beggar, and so she adds: "For even the dogs," and so on. It's as if she were saying: "Even if you exclude me from the table, don't exclude me from the crumbs." For this is the order: first, a person becomes wretched through sin; second, powerless to rise again; and third, a beggar in need of relief. In those petitions, therefore, the order of the effects of grace is signified. In the first, she asks for the grace of remission, which pertains to justifying grace; in the second, for the grace of action, which pertains to operating grace; and in the third, for the grace of consolation, which pertains to consummating grace.
The Reward of Great Faith
Jesus commends the woman's great faith and heals her daughter, showing that God grants more than is asked when approached with intensity.
And because she acted with such prudence, she eventually deserved to hear a kind response. For then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith." This is clear from her words and actions, because she wasn't held back from the fervor of her petition: not at first by his silence, nor later by his negative response, nor by the insult offered to her. I no longer call you a dog, but a woman. You are faithful; because your faith is so great that it has overcome me and won, and therefore: Let it be done for you as you wish. It is as if he were saying: Your faith deserves this, which is clear from the action when he adds this. And her daughter was healed from that hour—the hour in which the Lord said, "Let it be done for you as you wish." For God's saying is his doing, because since she did not grow cold in the fervor of her petition, but persevered and humbled herself greatly, divine mercy could not hold itself back any longer, for it has always looked upon the prayer of the humble and has not despised their petitions. Therefore, because she had great faith, she obtained what she asked for; indeed, she obtained more than she requested. She asked for her daughter’s physical healing, and she obtained not only that, but also the justification of her soul and a complete conversion for herself. Often, because of the petitioner's great faith, a merciful God listens and grants more than they ask for. Hence Chrysostom says: “O woman!” “Great is your faith; you didn't see the dead raised, nor the leper cleansed, nor did you hear the Prophets, nor did you meditate on the Law, nor did you see the sea parted in two—you contemplated none of these things. Furthermore, you were looked down upon and treated with contempt by me, and yet you didn't turn away, but persisted in asking; and because your faith is great, abundant grace has been poured out.” “And her daughter was healed,” he says, “from that hour—not the hour when the mother came into his house, but the hour when the Lord’s word went forth.” And again: “He sent the Canaanite woman away filled with a great gift.” In this he clearly shows that God can give even those things that are not prepared for us, if they are asked for with enough intensity: “It is not good,” he says, “to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs;” and yet he gave it, because she asked for it with such intensity. But to the Jews, on the other hand, he showed that he doesn't grant even those things that had been prepared for them to the lazy. In the end, they received nothing; in fact, they even lost what was their own. And because they asked for so little, they didn't even receive what was theirs; but she, because she pressed so hard to claim it, received the children's portion—a dog that she was! Such a good thing, truly, is steady faith and persevering prayer. And again: 'But you, observe how she succeeds where the Apostles failed; such a great thing is the urgency of prayer!' Chrysostom says, 'For He wants to be asked by us for our own hurts more than He wants to be asked by others on our behalf.' Sarepta is two leagues from the city of Sidon, and before its gate stands a chapel in the place where the Lord spoke to the Canaanite woman and subsequently healed her daughter on the road that leads to Caesarea Philippi in Ituraea.
Allegory and Application
The chapter concludes with allegorical interpretations of the story and a devotional prayer for the reader to imitate the woman's faith.
Just as a mother's faith helps her child, so the Church's faith helps the little ones who are baptized in her faith. Therefore, according to Remigius, this provides an example of catechizing and baptizing infants, so that the faithful may promise faith to God on behalf of their little ones; for just as the daughter was healed by the faith of that woman, so too may the sins of little ones be forgiven through the faith of Catholic men. For through the faith of the Church, and the confession or response of those who offer them in Baptism, little ones are freed from the demon, even though they cannot yet know or do anything good or evil on their own. Allegorically, however, according to the same Remigius, this woman represents the holy Church gathered from the Gentiles. By the fact that the Lord, having left the Scribes and Pharisees, came into the regions of Tyre and Sidon, He signifies that He was about to leave the Jews and pass over to the Gentiles. This woman has left her own borders, because the holy Church has turned away from her former errors and vices. She also asks on behalf of her daughter—that is, on behalf of her own people who do not yet believe—so that they too may be absolved from the deceits of the devil. And if the Lord delays in granting the salvation of the soul in response to the Church's petition, one must not despair or stop asking; rather, one must persist in prayer and turn to God and the Saints, and then the prayer will be fulfilled so that the effect follows, no matter how much of a Canaanite, a Gentile, a dog, or an unclean person one may be. The Church's faith regarding the Gentiles is rightly called great, because although the Gentiles were neither steeped in the Law nor... Instructed by the voices of the prophets, they obeyed the preaching of the Apostles as soon as they heard it, and for that reason, they deserved to obtain salvation. The daughter is the soul, or the conscience of anyone within the Church who has been handed over to the devil; for her, Mother Church prays, or the person themselves prays for their own defiled conscience. Rabanus says, "If anyone has a conscience polluted by the filth of some vice, they have a daughter tormented by a demon." And if anyone has defiled the good they have done with the plague of sin, they have a daughter agitated by the furies of an unclean spirit. Therefore, it's necessary that they take refuge in prayers and tears, and seek the intercessions and help of the Saints. Chrysostom also says, "Imitate the Canaanite woman." But perhaps you'll say, "I don't have a daughter who is possessed by a demon"; yet you have a soul filled with sins. You too should say, "Have mercy on me, Lord, because my soul is badly tormented by a demon"; for sin is a great demon, as Chrysostom says. The soul is tormented badly when the torment isn't felt; worse, when the disease is despaired of; worst of all, when the physician is despised. According to Theophilus, whenever any of us sins, our soul is the sinful woman—that is, fragile and weak—whose daughter is the wicked action, which is possessed by the devil because wicked acts belong to the demons. But as sinners, we are called little dogs filled with filth; for this reason, we aren't worthy to receive the bread of God or to share in the immaculate mysteries of God. If, however, we recognize ourselves through humility as little dogs and humbly confess our sins, then the daughter is healed, because the wicked action is wiped away. Another allegorical meaning of the Canaanite woman. And an exhortation to imitate her. Through the Canaanite woman, we can also, according to Augustine, understand the higher reason, which focuses on examining and consulting eternal laws; by the devil, however, we must understand sensuality itself, which is also signified by the serpent. So, in the same way, the daughter of the Canaanite woman is troubled when the lower reason is driven by sensuality to consent to mortal sin; her healing is sought from the Lord through the mother, that is, the higher reason, for the higher reason prays for the best things. And just as the Lord delayed answering the petition of the Canaanite woman so that her faith might appear more clearly, so too does the Lord sometimes allow the impulse of the lower reason to be drawn out longer through sensuality, so that the merit of the one being tempted may increase; for this reason, when Paul asks for the thorn in the flesh to be taken from him, the Lord says: 'My power is made perfect in weakness.' As children of the Church, let's imitate this woman who, coming from the Gentiles, became our mother in faith by believing, just as we have come from the Gentiles. Let's have faith so that, by believing in the one and triune God, we can trust that we'll obtain whatever we justly ask of Him. Let us have constancy, so that if the divine dispensation hears our prayers more slowly, we may join prayer to prayer until we obtain what we ask for. And if we don't feel worthy to obtain it, let's seek the help of our spiritual brothers' prayers; so that, just as that woman earned what she asked for through the Apostles' intercession, we too may believe that we're helped more by common prayers than by our own individual ones. Let's have humility, so that when others think more highly of us, we judge ourselves to be less, following the example of this woman who, when she was compared to dogs by the Lord, felt more humbly about herself and made herself equal to the puppies. He who, despised by others, said, 'I will play and become even viler than I have been made, and I will be humble in my own eyes,' held this humility in his heart. Let's pray to the Lord urgently that He may heal our daughters; let's pray that He may heal us from our sins, and that He may free our souls which are badly vexed by demons and vices. Let's cry out humbly and perseveringly to Him, saying with the Canaanite woman: 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David,' and: 'Lord, help me.' For that soul is tormented by a demon which doesn't stop sinning and persists in its crime; yet if it truly turns back and doesn't despair of Christ's mercy, the most loving Lord will say to it: 'Let it be done for you as you wish.' And it will be healed from that very hour, because at whatever hour a sinner turns back and groans, they will live and not die. Don't despair, then, or stop asking, because if you persevere in prayer before your God with a sincere, faithful, and pure heart—humbling yourself and considering yourself unworthy of all His benefits—you should believe most certainly that you will obtain whatever you ask for. Just as the Apostles asked on behalf of the Canaanite woman, so too will your Angel ask for you, and by offering your prayer to God, he will secure your benefit. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, I ask and beseech You, have mercy on me and help me in my needs and in the vexations of my temptations and tribulations. And if, Lord, because I am a dog—and before You, I am barely even a dog—I am not worthy to receive the whole loaf from You (that is, the greatness of Your gifts), at least give me the little crumbs, that is, a little of Your grace, without which my soul is badly tormented by a demon, whereas once it is freed, however small it may be, it will be delivered from sin and the demon. For Your grace, existing within the soul, both wipes away all sins and makes the soul an adopted daughter of God. Amen.
Read the original Latin
— Et relictis Scribis ac Pharisaeis calumniatoribus, propter ingratitudinem eorum, egressus inde Jesus, scilicet a partibus Judaeorum, abiit et secessit in partes Tyri et Sidofds, ut Tyrios Sidoniosque curaret, et Gentibus benefaceret. Tyrus enim et Sidon urbes fuerunt Chananaeorum et Gentilium, sitae tamen in terra promissionis, prope montem Libani in corde maris ; quia filii Israel non potuerunt totaliter expellere et exterminare Gentiles de terra promissionis. Et ecce cum ingressus esset quamdam domum causa quietis ex labore viae, accessit ad €um mulier Gentilis non eddcta per Prophetas et Legem, Chananeea natione, Syrophoenissa genere ; quia Chananaei quandoque Syriam et Phoenicem tenebant, ut dicatur Syrophcenissa, quia a Syris et Phcenicibus descenderat; Syria quippe est nomen generale provinciae, Phoenis nomen cujusdam specialis contractae, in ifla provincia sitae, et ideo componitur Syrophoenissa, id est 'tie tali contracta oriunda ; a finibus illis egressa, non solum a civitatibus pro peccatorum dimissione, sed a flnibus per elongationem, et occasionum vitationem, quia istud in iiriibus gestum est Gentilium ubi mulier sequebatur Jesum. Mulier>u finibus illis, scilicet Gentilium et peccatorum, egressa, significat animam peccatricem a finibus peccatorum per poenitentiam se avertentem. Non enim sufficit homini a peccatis se avertere, nisi etiam exeat a finibus peccatorum, qui sunt occasiones peccandi et causae. Unde Augustinus : a Fines peccatorum exire est causas peccatbrum exscindere, et eorum suggestionibus aditum non indulgere. » Ubi notandum, quod quando supra dixit Dominus : In viam Gentium ne abieritiSj scilicet ad praedicandum, istud verbum prohibet invitationem, non receptionem, si venirent; unde Dominus mulierem exterius non invitavit, sed venientem recepit, et hoc significatur in adventu Magorum, quia Domino sunt recepti quasi primitiae Gentium.
Ista enim mulier famam et miracula Jesu audiverat; ideo firmiter credebat quod filiam suam sanare poterat. Unde clamavit, dicens ei : Miserere mei, quia misera sum ; et in hoc quod dicit, mei, patet vehementia affectus sui, qula malum alienum, scilicet filiae, reputat suum; sic debet facere praelatns quilibet; Domine, propter naturatn divinam,^/? /! David, propter humanam, sed simul : Domine, fili David, propter personam in duabus naturis unitam. Quasi diceret : Ex divina habes potestatem, quia potens es, Domine; ex humana voluntatem, quia David mansuetudinem; ex unione commissionem, quia ideo Deus factus est filius David, ut nos salvet. Filium autem David appellat, quia Christum promissum Judaeis descendere de genere David audiverat. Magna fides Chananaeae hic notatur, quia verum Deum, et verum hominem Jesum confitetur : Deum credit, ubi Dominum vocat; hominem credit, ubi filium David dicit. Nihil ex merito postulat, sed solum Dei misericordiam efflagitat, dicens : Miserere mei, etc.
Quasi diceret : Non allego meritum, non peto judicium, non obliviscor defectum; sed postulo beneficium, et ideo : Miserere mei. Unde Ch-ysostomus : « Miserere mei, Domine, fili David. O praeclara confessio! Evangelista fit mulier , deitatem ejus et dispensationem annuntians; confitetur enim et dominationem, et Incarnationem ejus : Miserere meu Vides philosophiam mulieris dicentis : Miserere mei. Non, inquit, habeo conscientiam bonorum operum, nec rectae vitae fiduciam. Ad misericordiam confugio , ubi cessat judicium; ad misericordiam confugio, ubi ineffabilis salus est : Miserere mei. Modicus sermo, sed immensum benignitatis continet pelagus; ubi enim misericordia postulatur, ibi universa comprehensa sunt bona : » haec Chrysostomus. Et ut magis cum ad compassionem moveat, totum ei dolorem enarrat, dicens : Filia mea, non ancilla, non extranea, sed filia, quod est mihi gravius, male vexatur, non quocunque dolore, sed a da?
monio, quod est ei periculosius. In quo vulnera medico detegit, et magnitudinem et qualitatem morbiqui premit.
Jesus autem non respondit ei verbum, non propter indignationem ; sed ut ejus constantiam probaret, et probatam manifestaret, et ut ex perseverantia in prece ostenderetur fides ejus, et devotio dignior ex auditione. Et in illo silentio, secundum Augustinum, Christus exivit domo cum discipulis, quos mulier sequens in via nihilominus instabat et perseverabat, clamans in tantum ut et discipuli mysterii ignari, misericordia moti, importunitate mulieris victi, rogarent pro ea, dicentes : Dimitte eam , quam tenes non exaudiendo, quia clamat post nos, prae angustia quae eam tenet premendo. Fac quod ipsa petit, et sic recedat ; moti enim erant ad hoc, videntes ejus fidem et devotionem. Jesus autem respondens, ait : Non sum missus nisi ad oves domus Israel, id est ad Judaeos, qui perierunt, scilicet per infidelitatem a Deo recedentes ; ad illos potius venire debuit quibus promissus fuit. In hoc vitat scandalum Judaeorum quantum est in se, et reddit eos inexcusabiles. Loquitur de sua missione ad praedicandum in persona propria, quia non fuit missus nisi ad Judaeos primo et personajiter, sed ex consequenti et per Apostolos, ad Gentes ; et ideo Judaeis tanquam eorum Apostolus principaliter missus , in propria persona tantum praedicavit, et miracula fecit, nisi in casu ex aliqua causa speciali etiam circa alios hoc ageret, ut scilicet Ecclesiam in fide Gentium esse fundandam ostenderet, sicut habetur hic et supra, ubi Christus praedicavit Samaritanis devote eum recipientibus ; post mortem autem Christi praedicata est fides publice Gentilibus.
At Ula niisera misericordiam sequitur, repulsa non erubescit , importune clamat, Salvatorem adoratione latriae adorat, dkens : Domint, adjuva me; se adjuvari postulat, infirmitatem enim filiae suam reputat, et per consequens etiam sanitatem. Quasi diceret : Si usque modo non fui, tamen modo volo esse ovis Dei, in signum hujus adoro te sicut ovis pastorem; et ideo Domine, adjuva me, sicut pastor adjuvat ovem suam debilem et infirmam. Qui respondens, ait : Non est bonum, quia est contra ordinem juris, et etiam naturae sumere, et auferre panem, id est verbum Dei et salutis, seu doctrinam et operationem miraculosam, filiorum, id est Judaeorum; quia promissa sunt Judaeis, tanquam spiritualibus filiis propter cultum unius Dei ; et mittere canibus, id est dare Gentilibus, qui ante conversionem dicebantur canes, ratione immunditiae, ratione idololatriae et ratione saevitiae in Sanctos. At illa dixit, ecce humilitas mulieris, quae tanto plus magnificatur, quanto major fuit objurgatio, quae quanta fuit patet ex tribus : quia non filia, non pane digna, sed potius canis est dicta ; et ipsa concessit omnia, unde sequitur : Etiam, Domine. Quasi diceret : Verum dicis quia sum canis. Canem me vocas, canis tuus esse volo ; ergo me canem tuum nutri, quia non possum relinquere mensam Domini mei. Domini canes non expellunt ; et si expelluntur per unam portam, ipsi revertuntur per aliam. Si ergo sum canis, non debes me expellere a te ; et si expellis me a te, protinus redibo ad te : Nam et catelli edunt de micis quce cadunt de mensa dominorum suorum.
Quasi diceret : Domine, non peto panem sed micam, quia istud quod peto est tibi quasi mica parva; et quia consuetudo est quod domini dant canibus et catellis suis saltem micas, ergo da mihi istam micam quam peto, scilicet filiae meae curationem. Vel, etiam, Domine, id est bonum est in casu : unde non est contrarietas in verbo Christi et mulieris, quia verbum Christi est intelligendum, quod non erat regulariter et universaliter bonum, cum Christus esset Apostolus Judaeorum ; sed verbum mulieris intelligendum est in casu, scilicet propter petentis devotionem, et ut ostenderet Ecclesiae Gentium futuram fundationem : Nam et catelli edunt, etc. Quasi diceret : Si catelli aliqua modica, scilicet micas cadentes de cibo filiis concesso percipiunt; ita etiam Gentiles aliquid saltem modicum de beneficiis Christi percipere debent. Unde sic intelligi potest : Nam et catelli, id est Gentiles immundi et miseri, edunt, id est edere debent, de micis, id est de reliquiis, quae cadunt de mensa dominorum suorum, id est Judaeorum; quibus mensa Scripturae et fercula miraculorum et alia quae ad salutem nostram pertinent posita sunt. Quasi diceret : Debemus habere aliquam micam tuae largitatis. Unde et si non vis facere nobis sicut Judaeis varia miracula ; saltem unum fac, sana filiam meam. Non peto panem integrum cum filiis in mensa patris ; sed micas et reliquias sub mensa ejus cum catulis. Quasi diceret ; Non in dignitate mea, sed tantum in misericordia tua confidens, gratiam tuam peto.
In me servetur ista similitudo panis et canis ; et si indigna sum ut panem integrum praebeas, vel micam tribue, filiam meam sanando, quod quasi mica reputabitur respectu mirabilium quae fecisti. Ubi Chrysostomus : « Vide mulieris patientiam et humilitatcm, Deus enim vocat Judaeos filios, et illadominos; nec doluit de inimicorum laudibus, nec de suo molestata est convicio, imo amplius se PRIMjE partis humiliavit. rNam Deus Gentiles votat canes, et ista catellos; ille -paTiem, haec mensam dixit. » Unde et Hieronymus : « Mira sub persona muiieris Chananitidis Ecclesiae fides, patientia , humilitas ! Fides, mia credit sanari possefiliam suam; patientia, qua toties contempta precibus perseverat; humiKtas, qua se non canibus, sed catulis compaTat. Scio me, inquit, filiorum panem •non mereri, nec sedere ad mensam rum patre; sed contenta sum reliquiis catulorum, ut per humilitatem micarum ad -panis integri veniam magnhudinem : » haec HieTonymus.
Et nota hic triplicem mulieris 'petitionem. Inprima, petit liberari, dicens : Miserere mei, Domine, fili David; in secunda, petit adjuvari, dicens : Domine, adjuva me ; in terlia, petit satiari, dicens : Nam et vatelli edunt, ^tc. In prima confitetur se miseram, ideo ait : Miserere; in secunda infirmam, ideo •addit : Adjuva ine; in tertia mendicam, ideo superaddit : Nam et catelli, etc. Quasi diceret : Et si a mensa, non tamen a micis excludas. Hic enim est ordo : primo fit homo miser per peccatum, secundo impotens ad resurgendum, et tertio mendicus ad relevandum. In illis ergo petitionibus significatur ordo effectuum gratia^. In prima petit gratiam remissionis, et haec pertinet ad gratiam justificantem ; in secunda gratiam operationis, et haec ad gratiam operantem; in tertia gratiam consolationis, et haec ad gratiam consummantem.
Et quia sic prudenter habuitse, ideo tandem benignum audire responsum meruit. Tunc enim, respondens Jesus, ait illi : O mulier, >magna est fides tua, quod patet ex verbo et facto suo, quia non Fuit retardata a tervore petendi : primo propter tacitwmitatem, nec postea propter ejus negativam responsionem, nec propter illatum convicium. Jam te non voco canem, sed mulierem . fidelem ; quia tanta est fides tua, quod me superavit «t vicrt, et ideo : Fiat tibi sicut uisi. Quasi diceret : Fide6 tua hoc meretur, quodpatet ex facto, cum subditur. Et sanata est filia ejus ex illa hora, ex qua scilicet Domimis dixit : Fiat tibi sicut vis. Dicere enim Dei est facere, quia enim a fervore petitionis non refriguit, sed perseveravit et valde se humiliavit^, ideo divina pietas se amplius continere non potuit, quee semper in orationem humilium respexit, et preces eorum non despexit. Igitur quia magnam fidem habuit, ht>c quod petiit, impetravit; imo plus obtinurt quam postulavit.
Nam postulavit filise suae corporis sanitatem; et non solum hanc ei obtinuit, sed etiam mentrs justificationem et sibiipsi plenam conversionem. Saepe enim, propter magnam fidem petentis, Deus pius exaudit, et plus concedit quam ille peth. Unde Chrysostomus : « O mulier ! magna est fides tua; non vidisti mortuum suscitatum, nec leprosum mundatum, nec Prophetas audisti, nec Legem meditata es, neque mare in divisionibus scindi vidisti, nihil horum contemplata es; insuper et despecta et contempta es a me, et non recessisti, sed perseverasti petendo; et quia magna est fides tua, copiosa effusa est gratia. Et sanata est, inquit, filia ejus ex illa hora, non ex qua venit mater in domum ejus, sed ex qua Domini sermo processit. » Et iterum : « Chananaeam mulierem magno dono impletam xemisit. In hoc evidenter ostendit, quoniam Deus etiam iila que nobis parata non sunt dare poseit, si vehementius postuletur : Non est, inquit, bonum tollere p*nem filiorum et dare canibus; et tamen dedit, quia illa vehementer exegit. Judaeis vero e regione monatravit , quia desidiosis nec illa quidem tribuat , quae eis fuerant praeparata.
Denique illi nihil acceporunt, imo etiam propria perdiderunt. Et ideo quia minime quaesierunt, ne suaquidem acceperunt; Ula vero, quia vehementer incubuit vendicare, et rem filiorum accepit canis; tantum quippe bonum est fides sedula et deprecatio perseverans ! » Et iterum : a Tu autem intende qualiter Apostolis victis et non perficientibus , ipsa perficit ; tam magnum quid est instantia orationis! etenim pro nostris noxiis a nobis vult magis rogari, quam ab aliis pro nobis : » heec Chrysostomus.
J>£ Sarepta ad duas leucas e6t Sidon civitas, ante cujus portam ostenditur una capella, in loco ubi locutus eet Dominus Chananaeae, et deinde sanavit filiam ejus in via, quae ducit Cesaream Philippi in Ituraeam.
SicUt autem fides matris cooperatur filiee, sic fides Ecclesiae parvulis qui baptizantur in ejus fide. Unde, secundum Remigium, datur hic exempiurn catcchizandi , et baptizandi iniantes, ut fideles pro suis parvulis Deo fidem promittant; quatenus sicut fide istius mulieris sanata est filia ejus, ita et fide catholicorum virorum peccata parvulis relaxentur. Per fidem enim Ecclesiee, et confessioncm seu responsionem of£erentium in Baptismo liberantur a dsmonio parvuli, qui necdum per se sapere, vel aliquid agere possunt boni aut mali. Allegorice autem, secundum eumdem Remigium, haec mulier-sancUm Ecclesiam signat de Gentibus congregatam. Per hoc enim quod Dominus, relictis Scribis et Pharisaeis, venit in partes Tyri et Sidonis, signat quia relicturus erat Judaeos, ac transiturus ad Gentes. Est autem haec mulier egressa a finibus suis, quia sancta Ecclesia recessit a pristinis erroribus et vitiis. Rogat quoque pro filia, id est pro populo suo nondum credente, ut et ipsi absolvantur a fraudibus diaboii. Et si ad phmam petitionem Ecclesiae Dominus salutem animae differt dare, non est desperandum, vel a petendo cessandum; sed magis precibus insistendum, et ad Deum, et ad Sanctos recurrendum , et tunc perficietur oratio, ut sequatur effectus, quantumcunque fuerit Chananaeus, Gentilis , xanis et immundus.
Merito autem magna dicitur fides Ecclesiae de Gentibus , quia cum Gentes nec Lege fuerint imbutae, nec. Prophetarum vocibus instructae , ad praedicationem mox Apostolorum, in auditu oris obedierunt; ideoque salutem impetrare meruerunt.
MoraUter autem filia est anima , vel conscientia cujuslibet, intra Eccksiam diabolo mancipata; pro qua mater Ecclesia orat, vel ipse homo pro fcedata conscientia. Unde Rabanus : « Si quis conscieutiam habet alicuju6 vitii sorde pollutam, filiam habet a daemonio vexatam. Et si quis bona quae gessit, peccatorum peste fcedavit, filiam habet immundi spiritus furiis agltatam. Ideoque neccsse est ut ad preces iacrymasque confugiat, Sanctorumque intercessiones et auxUia quaerat. » Unde et Chrysostomus : a Imitare Chananaeam vir mulierem. Sed forsitan dicis : Non habeo filiam quae daemonio plena sit; sed habes animam peccatis refertam. Dicito et tu : Miserere mei, Domine, quia anima mea male a d&monio vexatur; grandis enim daemon peccatum est : » haec Chrysostomus. Male autem vexatur anima, quando vexatio non sentitur ; pejus , quando morbus desperatur ; pessime , quando medicus contemnitur.
Secundum Theophilum quoque , • unusquisque nostrum cum peccat, mulier est anima ejus peccatrix, id est fragilis, infirma; cujus filia est operatio prava, quae filia a daemone est possessa, quia actus pravi daemonum sunt. Peccatores nos autem existentes, nuncupamur catelli impleti immunditiis; propter quod non sumus digni panem Dei recipere, aut participes fierijimmaculatorum mysteriorum Dei. Si vero cognoscentes nosmetipsos per humilitatem esse catulos, humiliter confiteamur peccata nostra , tunc sanatur filia; quia deletur operatio prava. 10 Alia significatio allegorica MULIERIS CHANANiE. fi ET EXHORTATIO ad ipsam imitandam. — Per mulierem Chananaeam potest etiam, secundum Augustinum, intelligi ratio superior, quae legibus aeternis inspiciendis et consulendis intendit; per daemonem autem intelligendum est ipsa sensualitas, quae etiam per serpentem signatur. Sic ergo pariformiter filia mulieris Chananaeae vexatur , quando per sensualitatem inferior ratio ad consensum peccati mortalis impellitur, cujus sanatio per matrem, id est rationem superiorem, a Domino petitur ; nam ratio superior ad optima deprecatur. Et sicut Dominus distulit exaudire petitionem mulieris Chananaeae, ut ejus fides clarius appareret; sic et Dominus alicjuando dimittit impulsum rationis inferioris per sensualitatem diutius protrahi, ut augeatur meritum tentati ; proper quod Paulo petenti stimulum carnis a se auferri dicit Dominus : Virtus in infirmitate perficitur.
Imitemur ergo, et nos, Ecclesiae filii, hanc mulierem, quae de Gentibus credendo mater nostra in fide effecta est , quia de gentilitate venimus. Habeamus fidem, ut unum et trinum Deum credentes, quidquid juste ab eo petimus, nos impetrare posse credamus. Habeamus constantiam, ut si divina dispensatio preces nostras tardius exaudierit, tandiu preces precibus jungamus, quousque hoc quod petimus impetremus. Et si ad impetrandum nos idoneos non sentimus, spiritualium fratrum orationis adjutorium quaeramus; ut sicut ista mulier, Apostolis pro se intervenientibus, quod petebat promeruit, ita et nos communibus precibus magis quam singularibus et propriis adjuvari credamus. Habeamus humilitatem, ut aliis de nobis majora existimantibus, nos minores judicemus, exemplo hujus mulieris, quae cum a Domino canibus comparata esset, ipsa de se humilius sentiens, catellis se coaequavit. Hanc humilitatem in corde habebat, qui despectus ab aliis dicebat : Ludam et vilior fiam plus quam factus sum, et ero humilis in oculis meis. Oremus instanter Dominum, ut sanet filias nostras; oremus, ut sanet a peccatis, ut liberet nostras animas quae male a daemoniis et vitiis vexantur. Clamemus humiliter et perseveranter ad eum, dicentes cum Chananaea : Miserere mei , Domine, fili David; et : Domine, adjuva me.
Illa enim anima a daemonio vexatur, quae peccare non cessat, et in crimine perseverat; quae si bene conversa fuerit et de Christi misericordia non desperaverit, dicetur ei a piissimo Domino : Fiat tibi sicut vis. Et sanabitur ex illa hora, quia peccator quacunque hora conversus fuerit et ingemuerit, vita vivet et non morietur. Noli ergo desperare, vel a petendo cessare, quia si corde integro, fideli et puro, in oratione perseverans, coram Deo tuo humiliaveris, reputans te indignum omni beneficio suo; certissime credas, quod quaecunque petieris obtinebis. Et sicut Apostoli rogaverunt pro Chananaea, sic et Angelus pro te rogabit, et orationem tuam Deo offerens utilitatem tuam procurabit. ORATIO Domine Jesu Christe, te rogo et obsecro, miserere mei, et adjuva me in meis necessitatibus, ac tentationum et tribulationum vexationibus, et si, Domine, quia canis sum, et apud te vix ut canis, non sum dignus integrum a te panem, id est magnitudinem donorum tuorum recipere; saltem da mihi micas parvulas, id est aliquantulum de gratia tua, sine qua anima mea male a daemonio vexatur, cum ipsa vero, quantumcunque parva ruerit, a peccato et daemonio liberabitur. Nam gratia tua existens in anima, et delet omnia peccata, et Deo facit animam filiam adoptivam. Amen.
Notes
- 1 ↩The source text ends abruptly at 'a da?'. I have completed the sense as 'a demon' (a daemonio) to reflect the standard Gospel account and the context of the passage.
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