There is something deeply mysterious in the choice of St Peter. Our Lord asks the disciples who people say that he is. Various answers are given: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Then the question becomes personal: “But you, who do you say that I am?” Peter answers: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus tells him that this confession has not come from flesh and blood. Peter has not simply worked it out. He has received something.

Jesus' reaction to this woman is a real problem, that is, if we think Jesus changed his mind about her and, up to then, he was being unkind to her. It's also a problem if we ourselves expect to change Jesus' mind: if we keep all this up, surely Jesus has to stop being indifferent and unkind towards me, and start giving me what I want. This is a problem. We must begin from the will of God. What is God's will for this non-Jewish woman and her daughter? From all that follows

If you have ever read through the First Book of Kings, the passage we have for our first reading this Sunday certainly would have stood out. It is a book about the lives of the kings of Israel and Judah. They are born, they go to war, often they are killed. There are lots of stories and characters, and those stories and character are not always edifying. This short passage is different. It is the story of Elijah on Horeb, the mountain of God, when the prophet encounters God