Homily for Thursday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Genesis 2:18-25; Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; Mark 7:24-30
Audio Recording
How many of you are dog lovers? Christine and I certainly are. We have an English Mastiff and two Chihuahuas.
Jesus calls the Greek woman in today’s gospel a dog. At this time in history dogs didn’t enjoy the same status as they do today in our culture. Dogs were not the adorable pets they are today. Did you know that the pet industry in the United States was valued at $147 billion in 2023? This includes expenditures on pet food, supplies, vet care, and other services. And it’s expected to grow 7.5% annually for the unseen future. Crazy!
We love our pets, especially our dogs. In fact, dogs are the most popular pet throughout the world. And they don’t just eat the scraps that fall from our tables, they share our homes, our beds, and we excuse them when they chew up our furniture or our shoes. Many people give their dogs more time and attention than they give to God. Isn’t it interesting that “dog” spelled backwards is….
But in Jesus time it was different. People had an entirely different view of dogs. Physical violence toward dogs was considered acceptable. There was no PETA to call out crimes against them. Dogs had a very low status in ancient Israel and when someone was called a dog, it meant that they were considered to be evil.
To the Jews, anyone who was not a Jew was a dog. Such was the Greek woman Jesus encounters today. Like any Jew of the day would think, Jesus initially considered her to be a dog, not worthy of his time or attention. But when he witnessed her faith, he thought differently. Her faith was what was most important to him, not her ethnicity.
While it may not be a common reflection on this gospel passage, when I read it I think of my dogs and what it is about them I love so much. I think about their characteristics that endear them to me and how these qualities should translate to my faith, to my devotional life.
1. A dog is faithful. No matter what we do or say to them, they always love us. They wait for us to return when we leave them. A dog is always excited to see us when we’ve been away. They look at us with eyes of devotion. We are the master for whom they would do anything. Are we as faithful to our professed Christian beliefs as our dogs are to us?
2. A dog is obedient, at least the well-trained ones are. It doesn’t take more than a simple treat to get and keep a dog’s attention. They do what we tell them to do, when we tell them to do it. This endears them to us, just as it pleases God when we are obedient to his teachings, the teachings of his Church and the demands of our faith.
3. Dogs are grateful. When we give them our attention and love, they return it by giving us their undivided attention and their grateful gaze. Are we are as grateful to God for all he has done for us, as our dogs are to us?
4. Finally, a dog is persistent. When a dog wants something it lets us know and won’t stop asking until it either gets what it wants or we command it to go away. And even if we tell a dog to go away, it will come back later to ask again. Like the Greek woman, a dog doesn’t give up. Are we as persistent in our prayer life as a dog is when it wants something?
We can all learn a great deal about faithfulness, obedience, gratitude and persistence from our dogs. My prayer is that my faith life and yours might become more and more like that of a faithful dog to his master.
And like the Greek woman in today’s gospel reading, let us show him our great faith in his love and concern for each of us. Let us never doubt his love for us, his desire to heal us from our infirmities and to forgive our sins.
God loves us so much more than we love our dogs … and that’s a lot! Believe it and become more and more like a faithful dog in your relationship with Christ.