17/08/2026
FROM THE WORKSHOP | 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
Second Reading: Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28
A Faith That Perseveres
There was a time in my life when I reached what I would consider my lowest point—a kind of darkness in which I felt hopeless, lost, discouraged, and miserable. I cried a lot. I became emotionally exhausted, and eventually, that exhaustion led me into a deep spiritual dryness.
I neglected myself. I kept giving my best to others. I tried to be kind, to be present, and to show others the best of who I was, until I realized that I had given so much of myself that there seemed to be nothing left in me.
I felt that no one truly understood me or could accompany me through what I was experiencing. Until finally, I returned to the Lord. I humbly knelt before Him and prayed:
“Have pity on me, Lord. Please, help me.”
For several months, this became my simple prayer. I did not know what else to say. I simply continued to pray. Even when I felt that God was silent, I did not give up.
This is where today’s Gospel speaks deeply to me.
The Canaanite woman came to Jesus carrying the suffering of her daughter. She cried out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David.” Jesus seemed silent, yet she continued to plead. She did not walk away. She persevered because she trusted in His mercy.
And Jesus eventually said:
“O woman, great is your faith!”
I see my own experience in this woman. I, too, experienced moments when God seemed silent, but I continued to pray. Eventually, I began to recognize that God had been answering me—not necessarily in the way I expected, but in ways I understood only later.
One of those answers brought me to Domus Josephi Formation Center, a community that welcomed me wholeheartedly. They did not judge me because of my imperfections. Instead, they believed in me and reminded me that I was not hopeless, that God was not finished with me, and that I could still begin again.
I was asking God, “Lord, help me,” and He gave me people who could accompany me.
Looking back, I realize that I did not overcome those difficult moments because I was strong enough on my own. Grace carried me. God worked through my prayers, through the people He placed in my life, and through the community that welcomed me.
Today’s Gospel reminds me that faith does not mean that we will never experience darkness. Faith means continuing to trust even when we cannot yet see the light.
There may be times when we feel lost, alone, or spiritually dry. There may be moments when God seems silent. But like the Canaanite woman, may we never stop calling upon Him:
“Have pity on me, Lord. Lord, help me.”
And when we do not immediately see His answer, may we continue to trust.
Because sometimes, God’s answer is not the immediate removal of our suffering. Sometimes, His answer is the grace to endure, the people He sends to accompany us, and the strength to continue walking until we realize that He has never abandoned us.
May we have the persistent faith of the Canaanite woman—a faith that continues to pray, continues to hope, and continues to trust in the mercy of Christ.
Amen.
