Chapter VII, Articles 24-37

 When the Lord Jesus Christ came to the borders of Tyre and Sidon, a woman heard about Him, whose daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, and when she came, she fell down at His feet; and the woman was a heathen, a Syrophoenician by birth, v. 25, 26. She was an unfortunate woman. Her beloved daughter suffered from demonic possession. All means were tried to cure her; It was all in vain. The poor mother is about to despair, when suddenly she hears that a Great Prophet has appeared in her country, strong in spirit, powerful, benevolent, who heals the most serious ailments with one word, one look, one touch. Hope burns again in the tormented heart. The last hope! If she changes now, it's all over! A woman goes to the Savior. She has no choice! Either here she will pray for the healing of her daughter, or nowhere! She falls at the feet of the Lord and weeps with burning tears of last hope. Ah, these tears of love suffering from the suffering of loved ones! But the Lord is silent. Weeping over the sufferings of others, He is now indifferent, motionless. Mad with disappointment, the woman redoubles her pleas, putting into them all the bitterness of her aching heart, all the strength of her suffering. And suddenly the answer is, Let the children first be satisfied, for it is not good to take the bread of the children and throw it to the dogs, v. 27. Terrible answer! To seek mercy and wait for such an answer is like receiving a whip on the bare nerves. It is unlikely that many could withstand such an answer and would probably immediately walk away with anger or bitterness of resentment, at least with a feeling of complete disappointment. But the woman did not leave. Even this answer did not make her leave. She is ready to endure any humiliation, if only to restore the health of her dear daughter. Faith flared up in her with renewed force, and with humble persistence she continued to ask: "Yes, Lord; but the dogs under the table eat the crumbs of the children, v. 28.

The woman's faith, humility, and love overcame all the obstacles that were supposed to push her away from the Savior and which the Lord deliberately placed before her. "For this word, go," He said to her, "the devil has gone out of your daughter" (v. 29).

The cruelty of the first answer does not fit in with the gentle appearance of the Lord. Did He usually speak to unfortunate people who came to Him for help? Has He ever treated human grief in this way? Never. It is clear that the refusal of the request and the harsh answer were given by Him deliberately with some intention. What for?

To test the humility of a woman, to strengthen her faith, which is strengthened by its victories over the obstacle, to evoke her love to a new persistent supplication.

All this is necessary for the education of a person. All this strengthens him spiritually.

The Lord turned every opportunity that presented itself to Him to give man not only the external blessings he asked for, but also to elevate his soul, evoking in it the best feelings and moods, and thus imparting to it the grace of spiritual gifts. As He strengthens the woman's faith, He tries at the same time to arouse in her increased perseverance and perseverance of supplication.

This is a lesson for us. A lesson in the need for persistent, prolonged prayer, which does not fall into despair and does not stop because it is not immediately heard, but continues to achieve its goal without losing hope. We see that the woman's insistent request is finally fulfilled.Ask, and it will be given to you, – says the Lord, – seek, and you will find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened (Matt. VII, 7, 8). He confirms the same idea in two parables in the Gospel of Luke. Suppose, one parable teaches, that one of you, having a friend, comes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend! lend me three loaves of bread, for my friend has come to me from the way, and I have nothing to offer him; And he will answer from within, 'Do not disturb me, for the doors are already shut, and my children are with me on the bed.' I can't get up and give you. If, I tell you, he does not get up and give him because of his friendship with the NCM, then because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he asks. And I will say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you (Lk. XI, 5-9).

He also told them a parable about always praying and not losing heart, saying, "There was a judge in a certain city, who did not fear God and was not ashamed of people." In the same city there was a widow, and she came to him and said, "Protect me from my rival." But he didn't want to for a long time. And then he said to himself: although I do not fear God and am not ashamed of people, yet, since this widow does not give me peace, I will protect her, so that she will not come to trouble me any more. And the Lord said, Do you hear what the unrighteous judge says? Will not God protect His elect, who cry out to Him day and night, although He is slow to defend them? I tell you that he will give them protection soon (Lk. XVIII, 1-8). For this reason, the Holy Orthodox Church also tries to accustom to persistent prayer, offering its own lengthy Divine services, the tediousness of which many complain. Thus, as the parable says, we must cry out to the Lord day and night. We should not fall into despair if the Lord delays in fulfilling our request.

"Asking for that which is worthy of God," writes St. Basil the Great, "do not cease to ask until you receive it. Suggesting this, the Lord told the parable of the one who begged bread at midnight with His perseverance. Although a month, a year, and three years will pass; and for a great number of years, until thou receivest, do not depart, but ask in faith, continually doing good."

"Let it always be our task," teaches another great saint, John Chrysostom, "to be diligent in prayer and not to lose heart at the slowness of hearing, but to show patience of good humor. Let us accustom ourselves to cling to prayer and pray day and night, especially at night, when no one bothers us with business, when thoughts calm down, when everything around is silent and the mind has complete freedom to ascend to the Physician of souls. Every place and every time is suitable for such work. If you have a mind cleansed of impious passions, then be you in the marketplace, be on the road, be at home, be in the judgment seat, be in the monastery, be at sea, and wherever you are, everywhere, calling on God, you can receive what you ask for." The spiritual father Fr. A. Kolokolov, who was once more famous in St. Petersburg, sometimes said to his spiritual children: "Do you seek the help of the Mother of God? So go to the Kazan Cathedral and, standing as if with your own eyes before the icon, say: "Lady, help! I will not retreat, but I will beg, beg, as far as my strength is enough. I will come to You tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and for many years I will ask and pray until I receive what I ask for!"

The prayer of Fr. John of Kronstadt, the great man of prayer of the Russian Church, always produced the impression of extraordinary perseverance. According to eyewitnesses, when he prayed, it was as if he grabbed the vestments of Christ and did not let them go, seeking at all costs to receive what he asked for.

He himself told the following about the first steps of his pastoral prayer: "Infants Paul and Olga, through the boundless mercy of Vladyka and through the prayer of my lewdness, were healed of the spirit of infirmity that had taken possession of them. Little Paul's infirmity was resolved by sleep, little Olga received peace of mind, and his face became clear from dark.

And so the Lord did: He did not shame me, a sinner. I came for the tenth time, and the babies were healthy. I thanked Vladyka and the Most Swift Intercessor." But why do we need long, persistent prayers? Does prayerful labor and long-term prayer have any value in the eyes of God, and does not the Lord hear short, but sincere, fervent prayers? Undoubtedly, sometimes even an instant prayer offered from a pure heart is heard by God. In the same Gospel passage that was read, another case is told of the healing of a deaf, tongue-tied man, who was brought to the Lord and asked to lay hands on him. Without the slightest delay and without waiting for the repetition of the request, the Lord put His fingers into his ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; And he looked up to heaven, and sighed, and said unto him, Ephatha, that is, be opened. And straightway, his ears were opened, and the bands of his tongue were loosed, and he began to speak clearly, v. 33-35. Here the prayer of those who ask is heard immediately.