Just then a Canaanite woman began to shout,
“Have mercy on me!”
—Matthew 15.22
Canaanites— indigenous people, natives,
exiles in their own land,
asking for mercy,
begging for bread that is already theirs,
that the Colonizers not keep the blessings to themselves,
declaring to the privileged that their Lives Matter,
inviting the dominant ones to see through the glass darkly,
to see the Others as people,
to enlarge the circle of their care,
their responsibility,
their oneness.
A woman, judged lesser, pushed away
—Nevertheless: bravely advocating,
daring to banter as the rabbi’s peer.
Even Jesus must be schooled,
look in his smooth mirror,
face his bias,
be changed.
Wisdom is not knowing already,
but being open.
It is the change
that brings forth the miracle.
Bless you, Sister, for your saving deed.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
August 12, 2020