From Homilies d’Organyà, English translation by Robert D. Hughes, Editorial Barcino: Barcelona 2004
ENGLISH VERSION
Second Sunday of Lent
Egressus Jesus secessit in partes Tiri et Sidoni. Et ecce mulier cananea a finibus illis egressa clamavit dicens: Miserere mei, Domine, fili Mariae e David, filia mea male a daemonio vexatur.
Brethren, we have to pay attention to what the apostle and evangelist Saint Matthew said in the passage from the gospel you have just heard. This gospel means to show that, when Our Lord walked among us, He travelled to the lands on the Levantine coast. As the Passion He was to undergo in Jerusalem was drawing near-and specifically in order that the hypocritical Jews would not seek Him out in any other place outside Jerusalem-He arrived at the cities which lay along this coast. These cities were so well-protected that the Israelites had never succeeded in conquering them by force. These two cities were called Tyre and Sidon. Tyre stands for the tribulations of this world; the other city, called Sidon, stands for humanity, which, before the advent of Jesus Christ, the devil was leading unto death.
He was introduced to a woman who resided in that country and who had a daughter that was possessed by the devil, and, as she had heard it said that Our Lord was abroad in these lands, she came out from her house and went in search of Him that He might heal her daughter. When the woman came to where Jesus was and saw the almighty Lord, she begged his mercy at the top of her voice, saying: Fili David, miserere mei. Lord, son of the Virgin, have pity upon me! My brethren, this woman represents the Holy Church, which was lifeless and without existence among the pagans; and just as this women, while in her own house, did not beg for God’s mercy, so neither did those pagan peoples beseech God’s mercy while they were worshipping their idols as unbelievers. My brethren, this woman had great faith, because she did not bring her daughter out with her, since she believed that Our Lord would heal her by words alone. That woman possessed very great wisdom, because she recognised God in the person of a man, that is to say, she saw Jesus’ humanity and believed in His divinity.
Fili David, miserere mei; filia mea male a demonio vexatur, said the woman. Lord, son of David, my daughter is possessed by the devil! Brethren, this daughter symbolises the pagan peoples, who were not believers; and just as this woman prayed for her daughter, likewise the Holy Church never tires of praying for the salvation of her people, that is to say, that they might convert to the faith of Christ. We should understand, furthermore, that the woman represents our flesh and the girl our soul; and for this reason, if the daughter-that is to say, our soul, which resides in our bodies-has become sick on account of some sin that the body has committed, the mother, that is to say, our flesh, has to beg for God’s mercy, through fasting, alms-giving, prayer and good deeds, so that He might release her daughter from the power of the devil, by whom she is possessed. And, my brethren, we must understand, furthermore, that the woman represents our soul and the daughter our flesh. Well then, if the daughter, that is to say, our flesh, commits a sin, the soul becomes possessed immediately, and then her mother has to pray; that is to say, the soul has to pray, through fasting, alms-giving and through prayer itself, so that God might release the flesh from the sin into which it has fallen.
We should realise, furthermore, my brethren, that Jesus did not answer the woman three times: the first time, because this woman was a pagan; the second time, so that it would not be the case that the hypocritical Jews could say, “This man, who is one of our own people, mixes with pagans”-and thus the Jews would not have any excuse not to believe in Him; the third time, because, by doing this, He wished to test His disciples to see whether they possessed the compassion needed to pray for this woman or not.
“Lord, please, have pity upon this woman”, his disciples then prayed to Jesus. And he listened to the entreaties of His apostles in order that the Jews might believe that He was Jesus Christ and that He was merciful, and so that they could not say, “This man is not merciful”. We should understand by the woman who begged Our Lord’s mercy, that, after the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, all pagans came to believe, thanks to the preaching of the apostles. We should understand by the apostles who prayed for this woman, the priests of the Holy Church, who pray daily to God for all of us; and just as the apostles prayed for the woman, likewise priests pray that God might lead all Christians to a good end. And here we can be sure that God does not listen to sinners, because He did not wish to listen to this woman until she had spoken with His disciples; that is to say, when she had made her confession to the priests and had performed her penance, she was released immediately from the devil’s power. This means that Our Lord does not wish to listen to every sinner who lives in a state of sin and commits evil deeds; however, when the sinner withdraws from sin and evil deeds and performs his penance in all sincerity, all his sins are forgiven immediately.
And for this reason, my brethren, let us ask for Our Lord’s compassion and mercy, so that He might allow us to perform those deeds which, once we have left this world, will take us, in all certainty, to His heavenly palace, which He has promised to His faithful.
CATALAN VERSION
Segona domínica de Quaresma
Egressus Jesus secessit in partes Tiri et Sidonis. Et ecce mulier cananea a finibus illis egressa clamavit dicens: Miserere mei, Domine, fili Mariae e David, filia mea male a daemonio vexatur.
Senyors, hem de parar atenció al que diu l’apòstol i evangelista sant Mateu en el passatge de l’evangeli que acabeu d’escoltar. Aquest evangeli vol dir i mostrar que, quan Nostre Senyor anava pel món, es dirigí a les terres de l’altra banda del mar. Com que s’acostava a la passió que havia de sofrir a Jerusalem —i precisament perquè els jueus hipòcrites no l’anessin a cercar en cap altra terra que no fos Jerusalem— arribà a les ciutats que es troben a la vora del mar. Aquestes ciutats estan tan ben protegides que els israelites mai no les havien pogut conquerir per la força. Aquestes dues ciutats s’anomenen Tir i Sidó. Tir significa les tribulacions d’aquest món; l’altra, que s’anomena Sidó, significa la humanitat, a la qual, abans de la vinguda de Jesucrist, el diable portava cap a la mort.
I se li presentà una dona que vivia en aquell país i que tenia una filla endimoniada, i, com que havia sentit a dir que Nostre Senyor es trobava en aquelles terres, sortí de casa seva i anà a cercar-lo perquè li guarís la filla. Quan la dona arribà on Jesús era i trobà el Senyor totpoderós, li demanà mercè a crits dient-li: Fili David, miserere mei. Senyor, fill de la Verge, tingues pietat de mi! Senyors, aquesta dona representa la Santa Església, que era morta i perduda entre els pagans; i així com aquesta dona, mentre era a casa seva, no demanava mercè a Déu, tampoc no demanaven mercè a Déu aquells pobles pagans, mentre adoraven els seus ídols i no eren creients. Senyors, aquesta dona va tenir una gran fe, perquè no es va endur amb ella la seva filla, ja que va creure que Nostre Senyor la guariria tan sols amb la paraula. Aquella dona va tenir una saviesa molt gran, perquè en la persona d’un home reconegué Déu, és a dir, veié la humanitat de Jesús i cregué en la seva divinitat.
I va dir la dona: Fili David, miserere mei; filia mea male a daemonio vexatur. Senyor, fill de David, la meva filla està endimoniada! Senyors, aquesta filla simbolitza els pobles pagans, que no eren creients; i així com aquesta dona pregava per la seva filla, igualment la Santa Església no es cansa de pregar pel seu poble perquè se salvi, és a dir, es converteixi a la fe de Crist. A més a més, hem d’entendre que la dona representa la nostra carn i la filla la nostra ànima; i per això, si la filla —és a dir, la nostra ànima, que és en el nostre cos— està malalta per algun pecat que el cos hagi fet, la mare, és a dir, la nostra carn, ha de demanar mercè a Déu, amb dejunis, almoines, oracions i bones obres, a fi que li deslliuri la filla del poder del diable, que la posseeix. I encara, senyors, hem d’entendre que la dona representa la nostra ànima i la filla la nostra carn. Doncs bé, si la filla, és a dir, la nostra carn, fa algun pecat, immediatament l’ànima resta endimoniada, i aleshores la mare ha de pregar; és a dir, l’ànima ha de pregar, amb dejunis, almoines i oracions, perquè Déu deslliuri la carn del pecat en què es troba.
I encara, senyors, hem de saber que Jesús va deixar de respondre a la dona per tres vegades: la primera, perquè aquesta dona era pagana; la segona, perquè no fos cas que diguessin els jueus hipòcrites: Aquest, que forma part del nostre poble, es fa amb els pagans —i així els jueus no tinguessin excusa per a no creure en ell—; la tercera, perquè amb això volia posar a prova els seus deixebles si tindrien pietat de pregar per aquesta dona o no.
Els seus deixebles, doncs, pregaren a Jesús: Senyor, si et plau, tingues pietat d’aquesta dona. I ell va escoltar els precs dels apòstols per tal que els jueus creguessin que ell era Jesucrist i era misericordiós, i no poguessin dir: Aquest no és misericordiós. Per la dona que demanava misericòrdia a Nostre Senyor, hem d’entendre que, després de la passió, la resurrecció i l’ascensió de Jesucrist, gràcies a la predicació dels apòstols tots els pagans van creure. Pels apòstols que van pregar per aquesta dona, hem d’entendre els preveres de la Santa Església, els quals cada dia preguen a Déu per tots nosaltres; i així com els apòstols pregaven per la dona, igualment preguen els preveres per tots els cristians perquè Déu els porti a bona fi. I en això podem conèixer que Déu no escolta els pecadors, perquè no va voler escoltar aquesta dona fins que va haver parlat amb els deixebles; és a dir, quan ella hagué parlat en confessió amb els preveres i hagué fet penitència, immediatament va ser deslliurada del poder del dimoni. Això significa que Nostre Senyor no vol escoltar tot pecador que viu en pecat i fa males obres; però, quan s’aparta del pecat i de les males obres i fa penitència amb tota sinceritat, immediatament li és perdonat tot el seu pecat.
I per això, senyors, demanem pietat i misericòrdia a Nostre Senyor per tal que ens concedeixi de practicar aquelles obres que, quan sortirem d’aquest món, amb tota seguretat ens facin anar al seu palau celestial, que ell ha promès als seus fidels.