Silence Is Golden
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
2008-08-17
Matthew 15:21-28“Silence is golden.”
I’m sure you’ve heard that expression. And, there are times when I think truer words were never spoken.
Many of you know that Bess and I have been blessed with 9 children…yes, nine perfect, joyful…and noisy…children.
And, it seems there’s always something going on at our house – and whatever that something is, it usually involves noise…and lots of it. In fact, the blare of multiple TV’s, game systems, electric guitars and various toys that pop, bang and whirr-with-excitement, are blended with the shrieks and shrills of the many actors and authors, musicians and singers, pontificators and debaters that we lovingly call our children, into a veritable cacophony of sounds that can only be described as the Drzycimski Symphony Number 9.
I have to admit – now, don’t tell Bess – I’ve come home a few times to find everyone gone. Perhaps they’re at the zoo, or at the park, or at the store. Wherever they are, the entire house is empty…and quiet. I do relish those few moments.
Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t trade my family – or the noise – for anything, they truly are a blessing, but, then, every once in a while, God blesses me with a little silence. Yes, silence can be golden.
But, is it always?
Perhaps not for the Canaanite woman we hear about in Matthew’s Gospel. No…she needs something. Her daughter is sick, and in her words is “tormented by a demon.” She knows Jesus can help her. She offers a fervent, and heart-felt prayer. “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David,” she cries. But, what does she get in reply?
Silence. Nothing. Not a word. In fact, Jesus walks right by her.
Have we, too, found ourselves in this situation? Perhaps we’ve prayed for ourselves, for peace of mind; for relief from a particular addiction from which we suffer, or a weight problem, or a maybe a delinquent tax bill we have no means to pay. Perhaps we’ve prayed for someone in the family; someone who is sick or dying, or a child who has strayed from the Church.
What of world peace; or, an end to the horrors of abortion? Wars and sin abound, as do jealousy and hatred, poverty and hunger, indifference and discrimination. And, how about prayers for an increase in vocations?
Sure, God does answer many prayers along the way. We all have heard stories of this or that miraculous answer to a prayer.
But, still, millions upon millions of prayers, rosaries and novenas have been offered for so many just causes. And, so many candles have been lit in churches around the world. We pray…and we pray. Yet, for many, Jesus appears to walk right by.
For some of us, that apparent silence can be disheartening. It leads us to think that God doesn’t hear us; that our prayers are falling on deaf ears. Or worse, perhaps God doesn’t care about us. Or, maybe God hears our prayers, but won’t answer them because we’re unworthy in some way.
So what should we make of this silence? What should we do? Do we give up?
What does the Canaanite woman do?
Well, she doesn’t give up, though she very easily could have. In fact, most of us would have walked away in disgust. But, she doesn’t. She persists. And persists. She truly humbles herself at the Lord’s feet and is willing to accept even the scraps from the Lord’s table. “Please, Lord,” she says, “for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”
What faith she displays. When faced first with silence, then with apparent annoyance from Jesus’ disciples, then a test of humility from Jesus, Himself, she perseveres in faith in the one Person who she knows can help her. And her faith is rewarded. And what does that tell us about our petitions…about our fervent and heart-felt prayers?
Yes, the world is hurting, longing for God, and many think he is nowhere to be found.
So, where is God? I’ll tell you where He is…He IS here: here in this very tabernacle day and night, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Waiting patiently for us to visit Him, to adore Him, to gain strength from Him. And when we receive Him at Communion, He’s here in our very being, this living tabernacle, building up our faith…that very faith for which He healed the daughter of the Canaanite woman.
Yes, it was her faith that healed her daughter. “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done as you wish.” And so it must be our faith that heals the world.
Do you want peace of mind? Have faith in God.
Do you want your child back in the Church? Have faith in God.
Do you want to end abortion, or world hunger, or oppression, or poverty? Have faith in God.
Do you want more priests? Have faith in God.
We may not see answers immediately, or even before we depart this earth. But, this is the true test of our faith – perseverance…the same perseverance shown by the Canaanite woman.
God is not ignoring us. He is not a distant, uncaring God. We have done nothing that can offend Him so greatly that He will not answer is. His silence…is a blessing.
It is a holy and sacred opportunity to show our love for Him, to show our trust in him, to grow in our faith in Him. The key is keep believing, keep praying. We have to pray through the silence.
And, as we do this, we have nourish ourselves in the Sacraments, immerse ourselves in Scripture, plant ourselves firmly in the Barque, or boat of Peter – the Church. We have to envelop ourselves in the constant love of the Father, the mercy of the Son and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
For, this is where we find our faith, and this will lead to the answer to our prayers. Only then can we be sure in the hope that God will answer us.
And in the midst of this great and blessed silence, if we listen closely, we may hear a whisper.
“Let it be done for you as you wish.”