A Daughter Tormented by a Demon

A Daughter Tormented by a Demon
Pentecost 12; Matthew 15:21-28
The Canaanite mother kept shouting:
	“Mercy for my daughter!”
The disciples came and urged Jesus:
	“Send her away!”
Longing for peace, he did not answer her,
	then was dismissive.
Undaunted in faith, she answered back.
	Healing happened.

The demons who torment
	our daughters and sons
are trolls on social media,
	bullies and abusers
in schools and on phones,
peer groups sodden
with drugs, sex and booze,
	a jaded society
entertained by violence,
	media driven hype
idolizing winners and berating losers,
	parents too busy
to notice or shout out.

No doubt there are women seeking Jesus,
	begging for mercy.
Does he stay silent, discourage them
	with ethnic or gender disparity?
Is salvation exclusive, reserved
	for those at the altar?
Are healing powers weakened
	when so few believe?

Let the women and the dogs
	who love the children,
demand help loudly,
	challenging rejection,
claiming crumbs from his table
	and the touch of healing,
breaking into his breakdown
	to give and take wholeness.

	Barbara Messner 16/08/2023