Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 14, 2019
Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
In today’s Gospel, we meet a woman who, in her quest to save her daughter from an unclean spirit, exemplifies the selfless, boundless love of a parent for her child. From her interaction with Jesus, we can draw two conclusions: first, she is very aware of her low rank on the salvation totem pole as a Gentile woman, and, second, she does not care one bit. Her love for her daughter and her faith in God’s mercy allows her to overcome the ridicule she most likely faced along her journey to reach Jesus. Her pure intentions (and quick wit) prompted Jesus to make the decision to extend his grace to one of the “dogs under the table.”
As I have gotten older, I have gained insight into the difficulties my parents have faced while raising us and the sacrifices they have made to make sure that my brother and I were unaware of the difficulties. Along with this selflessness came unending support. There has never been an “unclean spirit” that my parents have not been willing to do everything in their power to help vanquish. This willingness has never come with a catch or fine print, but rather the hope that I will learn to love purely and generously, and grow into the best possible version of myself.
Although today is the memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius, St. Valentine will surely steal the mainstream spotlight. Despite Valentine’s Day’s traditional focus on romantic love, let us also celebrate today the parents, family and friends who have helped us vanquish unclean spirits in our lives by selflessly and boundlessly loving us. May we honor them by loving others in the same way.
Prayer
Lord, the faith of the Syrophoenician woman, and her love for her daughter, inspires us to call out to you for the needs of those we love. Hear our prayers. May our love for our families, friends, and neighbors draw your healing and consoling presence close to them. May all of our relationships be sealed with your blessing; may our love for one another always draw us closer to you. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Although not as famous as the saint we celebrate popularly today, Valentine, Cyril and Methodius, like Valentine, represent the strength of Christian love, as the strong bond of brotherly love of these two men strengthened them as they spread Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Europe.
Cyril and Methodius were born in the early ninth century in Thessalonica, which is now part of contemporary Greece. Methodius, the elder, was born around 818AD and Cyril around 827AD. Some sources claim that they were ethnically Turkish by birth, others that they were Greek. Their father died when they were still young and they were raised by the great preacher Theoktistos, who was not only a revered minister but was a powerful figure in the court of the Emperor.
Cyril was sent on his first missionary expedition East on his own, while Methodius became an abbot of a monastery. Cyril returned and studied philosophy, while he continued having great influence in the affairs of the empire. The brothers were sent on a mission to Moravia, at the request of Prince Rastislav of Moravia. Moravia had recently rejected paganism and converted to Christianity. But the people needed more instruction in the faith. Cyril and Methodius, imitating Christ's gospel command to journey two-by-two, traveled to Moravia and spread the faith. Furthermore, they created a new alphabet—Glagolitic—to write down the Slavic language, in order that they might receive religious instruction and practice the liturgy in the local tongue. This original alphabet still exists as modern Cyrillic (named after Cyril himself).
The brothers worked tirelessly to bring Christianity to the Slavs in their native tongue. They translated the liturgy and most books of the Bible into the Slavonic language.
Cyril died in 869 in Rome and Methodius died several years later in 885, after serving as archbishop of Moravia after his brother's death. The brothers have been celebrated as saints early as the eleventh century, and many Eastern European countries honor them with public holidays. They are the patron saints of Europe and also of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
They are witnesses to the creative ability of missionaries to bring the love of God into every culture and to speak the Word of God in rich and beautiful new languages.
Saints Cyril and Methodius, brothers who spread Christianity throughout Eastern Europe—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Sts. Cyril and Methodius is in the public domain. Last accessed December 5, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
