"Can God Say No?"

The gospel story of the Canaanite woman is one of the most uncomfortable in the New Testament. A desperate mother approaches Jesus, begging him to free her daughter from demonic torment. And Jesus ignores her. Then he tells his disciples he was sent only to Israel. Then he compares her people to dogs. It is not a gentle scene. But Father Mike Schmitz argues that this difficult passage contains the secret of great faith—and it has nothing to do with getting what we ask for.

The Place of Desperation

The Canaanite woman has exhausted every option. Her daughter is possessed, and there is no medicine, no effort, no human solution that can help. She is powerless. Father Mike notes that many of us will find ourselves in this exact place at some point—after trying everything, after treatments fail, after counselors and medications and prayers seem to accomplish nothing. The worst part is not the suffering itself. It is that before we tried everything, we had hope. After everything fails, even hope feels gone. That is desperation.

And desperation, Father Mike suggests, is not necessarily a bad place to be. It strips away pretense. It forces honesty. The Canaanite woman comes to Jesus and tells him exactly what she needs. She does not hedge. She does not qualify. She does not say, "If it be your will." She says, "Lord, help me."

The Deeper Trust