Scraps from the Tables

Sunday's Gospel:

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus’ disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

Reflecting on this gospel, it made me think about the relationship between Catholics and Protestants. While the Catholic/Orthodox Church has all seven sacraments to receive God's Grace through, our Protestant brothers and sisters only have 2 (Baptism and Marriage). They do not get the "full feast" that we receive in the sacraments. At the same time, many of them have great faith, and as such, like the woman Jesus talks to here, they get part of that grace through the sacraments and other religious experiences (prayer, worship services, Bible Reading, etc.). Likewise, we should not limit what God would do for these individuals or belittle them as less than ourselves. As Christ said, "Let it be done for you as you wish".