the greater gifts - 18th week wednesday

St. Vincent Ferrer explained this gospel by telling of a good soldier well-loved by the general.  This soldier went to the general to ask for an apple, a sweet apple.  But the general did not give him the apple but instead gave him a fortress.  And still the soldier asked for the apple but the general gave him a big and beautiful war horse.  The gift was received but the soldier kept insisting on the apple.  Again the general ignored him and gave him a beautiful armor.  Again the gift was received but the soldier asked for the apple.  Finally, the general gave in and gave him the apple.  Lesson:  if the apple was given immediately upon the request of the soldier, the soldier would not have the other gifts because he would have stopped asking.  He would have no fortress, he would not have a beautiful and powerful war horse and he would not have a beautiful and strong armor.

This according to St. Vincent is the lesson of our gospel today.  If Jesus would have given immediately what the Canaanite woman asked she would not have faith stability, humility, and love.  She would have stopped asking.

Sometimes when we pray we are not immediately given what we ask for.  But God is giving us something more beautiful, something more precious.  If he immediately answers our prayers we would not have the more beautiful gifts that we have right now.

I wanted to be healed of my arthritis.  I begged God.  I even went to Baclaran, Quiapo and prayed for a miracle.  But God did not grant the healing.  Instead he made me strong, he made me believe in myself and in His grace - to do what I must do with what God has given me.