The "Pagan" Plea
THE PRAYER OR PLEA OF A PAGAN INTRODUCTION May be we all experience the feeling of harboring/housing a bit of paganism in us. And the feeling is not about to go away soon. In fact, it seems to increase the more we come closer to go—the path of growth in faith. Other times we seem to be convinced that our neighbors portray pagan traits. Let’s reflect on a text of Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus is meeting a pagan woman! LORD, HELP ME. MT.15:21-28 Jesus continues his journey and passes towards the north of Galilee. He passes through the areas of Tiro and Sidon, near Phoenicia, a region inhabited by Canaanites. Israelites avoided them because according to the Torah, contact with them would make the Israelites “Unclean” with their idols. It is in this journey that Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman! But is it a coincidence? Why did Jesus choose to pass through a region that no ordinary Jew would pass? Is he unaware of the impact that such a journey would lay on him?