today's other readings are 1 Kings 11: 4-13 and Psalm 106
"A mother never stops being a mom". I heard that once from a friend of mine who is a mother. And how right she is.
We hear of a mother in our gospel. Yes, she's not Jewish, she is a Gentile of Syrophoenician origin. But she still is a mom. And her daughter is in a bad way.
Like a typical mother, she will go to any length to get help for her girl. Despite the cultural norms of a woman not being allowed to approach a man who is not a family member, despite the fact that she knows that Jesus is a practicing Jew, that typically Jews would have nothing to do with foreigners, she approaches and begs Him for help.
Jesus' response is at first appearance, harsh. But He is testing her. And does she ever pass the test. And her daughter is healed.
That mother was wise. That mother truly was a mom.
We are left with two questions: How far would we go to help our loved ones? And is our faith as persistent as our gospel's mother?