Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the scraps that fall off the children's table. Today's Gospel passage recounts one of those few and rare times when Jesus does not come across as the sensitive, caring, and compassionate individual whom we encounter in the Gospel corpus. It is an account where the apparent rudeness of Jesus towards the woman who needed his help stands out as a sore thumb regardless of our efforts to place the encounter into its proper context. That having been said, the point that the evangelist wanted to pass across to us, I strongly believe, is the faith of the woman. Many of us would have walked away or started calling Jesus all manner of unsavory names had we been in the woman’s shoes. Most of us might have even caused a scene and demanded a public apology from Jesus. To her credit, the woman kept her cool and did not allow the unfriendly utterances to distract her. She was aware of the many hurdles over which she had had to jump in order to get to Jesus. Not only was she a pagan, she was also a woman. She knew that it was not by chance that she found herself at the feet of Jesus. Something had pushed her, and she was not going to let Jesus’ mention of a word she had heard so many times come between her and getting that for which she had come. She was focused on what she wanted and would not let a minor setback ruin her golden chance. And as was the case in other situations, it was her faith that carried the day. Not only did this pagan lady have faith in Jesus' ability to cure and heal, she also believed that Jesus' ministry was universal. Jesus might have been raised by God from among the Jewish people, but he was sent to bring restoration to all. The lady's faith and statement as well as the subsequent healing of her daughter brings to a fulfillment God's promise that all the nations will be blessed in, and through Israel.