The story of Jesus’ encounter with the Syro-Phoenician (that is, gentile) woman shows his willingness to learn. He had been explicit that his mission was “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Her persistence taught him otherwise — that he had a larger mission which included her. It is not a coincidence that it was a woman who expanded Jesus’ horizon. As the creation story of Eve proves, there is a radical equality between men and women. To neglect the contributions of women is to impoverish the human experience. Pope Francis has acknowledged that the Roman Catholic Church does not do a very good job of incorporating women into its ministry to “teach, govern and sanctify.” We have to do a better job!
