18th February 2024

Requests and demands are a familiar element in life. As people we request from God, as well as of ourselves, and from others. We make requests from life, from society, and from the state. A request may become an expression of a dream, or the desire for what we would like to experience and live, for what may seem fair to us or for others, for what is pleasant and beneficial, even if in the long run it becomes destructive. Sometimes, our demands are born from within our culture. Such may be the acquisition of money, but also the desire for recognition and pleasure. The core value promulgated in today’s society is the "I" and not the "we".

There are requests that can be fulfilled by our personal effort and work. Sometimes, in order that our requests may be fulfilled, we require the intervention of others, who while mediating on our behalf, may demand something in return, or may do this selflessly, or perhaps because they truly believe in both us and our request. There are also requests whose fulfillment depends on God. These concern health, life and overcoming death. There are others that have to do with the pursuit of happiness, or with spiritual progress, and even those which allow us to find the way to lead us out of a meaningless life, devoid of love and resurrection. These requests, however, are not our priority. We usually submit them to God when circumstances reach a breaking point. Sometimes we demand with audacity. Sometimes we are troubled with the feeling that our life is in vain, and that God will not listen to us.

One such request was made to Christ by a woman from the land of Canaan. She was a pagan. A voice inside her told her that only the God-man could redeem her, by healing her anxiety for her daughter, who could not control herself because of the existence of a temptation that afflicted her both physically and mentally, and did not allow her to freely move on with her life. Thus, she hastens to ask for mercy from the Son of David. But Christ does not answer her. Then she cried out even more. And then the disciples of the Lord plead with Him: "Dismiss her, for she cries out behind us" (Matt. 15:23). The woman expresses her request with a cry and with perseverance. She becomes the center of attention. She is not intimidated by Christ's apparent refusal to pay attention to her. Her love for her daughter is stronger than the humiliation she suffers. Her faith in the Lord is not intimidated by His delay in responding to her request. Nor is she disappointed by the disgust of the disciples towards her. Christ will test her faith a little more and see the greatness of her soul. He will fulfill her request. And He will leave her as an example of what kind of requests need to prevail in our lives and how we are called to ask for their fulfillment.

The Canaanite woman’s request was not egocentric but one of selfless love. She wasn't asking anything for herself, but for her daughter. The love she had for her child was of such quality that she wanted her to be free from evil. It was also a request based on trust in God and His love. It was expressed with faith, perseverance, humility and patience, not as a demand and with audacity, but with firmness of hope. And the cure was given to her "from that hour."

God does not forget us when our requests concern our salvation. His response may sometimes be late, and He wishes to test us. But He gives us what is truly beneficial; that which sets us free, and anything that makes us love Him and people more. He gives us everything that frees us from our ego. He gives us answers of eternity. So let us choose requests for salvation as a priority in our lives, because such requests will be answered in an analogous way.