Today’s Gospel reading about the cure of the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman strengthens the opening of the Church to the non-Jews, to the Gentiles. A Jew, Jesus rightly pointed out his preference for the Jewish people in his public ministry. On the part of the Gentile woman, her response to Jesus showed her extraordinary humility and strong faith and trust in the goodness of this Jesus about whom she had had good things and whom she believed to be a holy man from God.

Similar to Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, this incident clarified that, though salvation was offered to the Jewish people who had been specially prepared for the coming of the Messiah, it was really for all: the early Church would further clarify this.

In the light of the inclusivity of God’s love for all people, how do we appreciate the Church’s preferential option for the poor and disadvantaged? How do we appreciate the Church’s special concern for various sectors of human society? How do we see the missionary vocation of the Church?

And in the light of Syro-phoenician’s brilliant yet very humble reply to the Lord, are we humble and open in our prayer petitions to allow God to act on our petitions in his own way and time?