Scripture:
Jeremiah 31:1-7
Matthew 15:21-28
Reflection:
Then Jesus said to her in reply, ‘O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed from that hour. -Matthew 15:28
As a child growing up, my mother always threatened to send me and my brothers to Montefiore, a Reform School where “Bad Boys” were sent to make them “good boys”. Although we had never seen “Montefiore”, we did pass “The Chicago Parental Home” a home for boys that failed at Montefiore. There we would see boys working out in the fields, hoeing and working in their gardens. That sight along with the threat of Montefiore was enough to keep me and I believe a lot of boys doing what they were told to do.
Fifteen years later, I found myself entering “Montefiore” as a novice High School English teacher. When given the choice by the Board of Education of three different positions, I chose “Montefiore” because it paid the most–it was a 48-week school rather than the regular 38 weeks. I remember driving up to the school, wondering where the bars were. The school looked just like any other public school built in the 60’s. (This was the third location of Montefiore that originally opened in 1929 to help deal with the influx of Catholic and Jewish immigrants who had been pouring into Chicago seeking jobs and an opportunity to live a normal life).
I won’t bore you with all the details of my healing, but suffice it to say, it began with that original encounter and continues to this day. I learned that first day, that Montefiore not only looked like any public school, but except for special population, boys from 10 to 16 years of age and the shops which appealed to many of that population, it acted like any other public school in the ‘70’s. There, the three “R’s” were taught along with all the other expected subjects.
God, forgive my mother and all the other mothers and teachers who foisted their fear of being different onto their boys. I believe they meant well. Forgive me, for letting fear of the other, or feelings of superiority/inferiority isolate me and keep me from being spontaneous. Help me have faith like the woman in today’s Gospel selection, faith that You, God, don’t make junk, You only make beautiful, gifts of life that show up in all different forms, shapes and colors. Help me build community today and create safe places where all Your creation can come together in peace, joy and love.
Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.