Football season is almost upon us and we have already begun to speculate as to how bad or good our favorite team will be this year. The teams have started their pre-season games and so we have been given a little preview or sneak peek of the team this year. During the pre-season expectations are always high and people have high hopes of a return to the playoffs this year. The sports writers for each team have been very optimistic about their team’s chances and they seem to feel that their team is deep in talent at most positions. Of course, most people recognize that it doesn’t matter how deep the talent pool is, what really matters is how often the team scores and wins games. A team can be very talented and look good on paper but if they do not win games it will be a very long and disappointing season. People talk a lot about a team’s success at finishing drives and scoring in the “red zone”. The offense can be very talented and capable of sustaining long drives but if they cannot get the ball into the end zone they will have trouble winning games.

There are many different reasons why a team may not be able to finish a drive and be successful in scoring; mistakes might be made, defenses certainly toughen up, play calling may be too predictable. One can make excuses but true greatness is measured by one’s ability to finish the drive. Great teams find a way to score in the red zone. A truly great team will persevere in their determination to score and will not be denied at the goal line. They find a way, one way or another, to get to the goal.
In the spiritual life, it is also important to be persistent in our prayer. There may be a lot of obstacles that we face in accomplishing our goals but we need to find a way to have our prayers heard and answered by God. If we give up at the first sign of difficulty we will never make progress in our spiritual journey. The scriptures are very clear on the fact that faith requires persistence in prayer. If we are asking for something that is good and consistent with God’s will then we must believe that God is good and wants to give us what we need. We don’t always receive an answer to our prayers the first time around and so we need to be patient and persistent in presenting our needs to God. At one time Jesus told a little parable about someone who kept knocking at the door and the person finally received an answer because they would not go away without getting what they needed at the time.
Our gospel today gives us a great example of persistence in prayer. A Canaanite woman continuously cries out to Jesus until she is finally heard and answered. She will not leave Jesus alone until he answers her request and she will not take “no” for an answer. Time and time again she is turned away but she never gives up on her request to have her prayer answered. She believes in the goodness and power of Jesus to free her daughter from her affliction and she humbly persists in her request for Jesus to help her. Persistence, patience and humility are qualities of her faith that allow her to attain her goal of reaching the heart of Jesus and appealing to his gentle mercy.

This Canaanite woman experiences many of the obstacles that we might face in our spiritual journey but is able to overcome them all and reach her goal. At first we see her calling out again and again to Jesus and making a nuisance of herself until she is finally given a hearing. The apostles ask Jesus to hear her just so that they can get rid of her. She is certainly persistent in calling out to the Lord. The first response she receives from Jesus is silence. How do we respond when faced with the silence of God in answer to our prayers? Do we give up and discard our faith in God’s goodness? The next response that she receives is a challenge to her worthiness to receive an answer to her prayer. She responds with humility and appeals to the Lord’s mercy. There is no anger or sense of entitlement in her request, she knows that she may not be worthy but is still confident that Jesus will answer her request. Finally, Jesus commends her for her faith and he answers her prayer. Do we have the humility to face our faults and still believe in God’s love for us and his tender mercy in the face of our human limitations?
Jesus’ response today to this desperate woman teaches his disciples the need for persistence, patience and humility in faith. When we get into the “red zone” of our faith we need to find a way to reach our goals and never give up on our journey of faith. Truly great faith always finds a way and receives an answer. Don’t let fear and frustration separate you from the love of the Father.