John Chrysostom, On Canaan

Nor does He wait to finish the prayer; you have not yet finished the prayer, and you receive the gift. Have mercy on me. Let us imitate this Canaanite woman, I beseech you; Have mercy on me; my daughter is grievously possessed by a demon. And the Lord says to her: O woman, great is your faith; be it done for you as you wish. Where is the heretic? Did He say, "I will ask my Father"? Did He say, "I will beseech Him who begot me"? Is there need of prayer here? By no means. Why? Because great was the faith, great was the vessel, great also was the grace poured out. Where there is need of prayer, the vessel is weak. O woman, great is your faith. You have not seen a dead person raised, nor a leper cleansed, nor have you heard the prophets, nor have you studied the law, nor have you seen the sea parted, nor have you seen any other sign performed by me; but rather you were insulted by me, and you were at a loss; I refused your suffering, and you did not withdraw, but you remained; therefore, receive also from me worthy and fitting praise; O woman, great is your faith. The woman has died, and her praise remains, being brighter than a diadem. Wherever you go, you hear Christ saying, O woman, great is your faith. Enter into the church of the Persians, and you will hear 52.460 Christ saying, O woman, great is your faith; into that of the Goths, into that of the barbarians, into that of the Indians, into that of the Moors, as much of the earth as the sun looks upon; Christ spoke one word, and the word is not silent, but with a great voice it proclaims her faith, saying, O woman, great is your faith; be it done for you as you wish. He did not say, "Let your little daughter be healed," but, "As you wish." You heal her; you become the physician; to you I entrust the remedy; go, apply it, Be it done for you as you wish. Let your will heal her. The Canaanite woman healed by her will, and does the Son of God not heal of Himself? Be it done for you as you wish. The woman did not command, nor did she order the demon, but she only willed, and the will of the woman healed, and cast out demons. Where are they who dare to say that the Son accomplished it through prayer? Be it done for you as you wish. See also the nobility of the expression; He imitates His own Father.

For when God made the heaven, He said, Let there be heaven, and there was heaven; let there be sun, and there was sun; let there be earth, and there was earth; by command He brought forth substance. So also He, Be it done for you as you wish. The kinship of the expression showed the communion of nature. And her daughter was healed. When? From that hour; not from when her mother came into the house, but before she came. She came to find her possessed by a demon, and she found her healthy, having been healed by her will. And for all these things let us give thanks to God, because to Him is due glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Οὐδὲ ἀναμένει τελέσαι τὴν εὐχήν· οὔπω τελεῖς τὴν εὐχὴν, καὶ λαμβάνεις τὴν δόσιν. Ἐλέησόν με. Ταύτην μιμησώμεθα τὴν Χαναναίαν, παρακαλῶ· Ἐλέησόν με· ἡ θυγάτηρ μου κακῶς δαιμονίζεται. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος λέγει πρὸς αὐτήν· Ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις· γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. Ποῦ ὁ αἱρετικός; Μὴ εἶπε, Παρακαλέσω μου τὸν Πατέρα; μὴ εἶπεν, Ἱκετεύσω τὸν γεννήσαντά με; μὴ εὐχῆς χρεία ἐνταῦθα; Οὐδαμῶς. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἐπειδὴ μεγάλη ἦν ἡ πίστις, μέγα ἦν τὸ σκεῦος, μεγάλη καὶ ἡ χάρις ἐξεχύθη. Ὅπου δεῖ εὐχῆς, ἀσθενὲς τὸ σκεῦος. Ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις. Οὐ νεκρὸν εἶδες ἐγειρόμενον, οὐ λεπρὸν καθαριζόμενον, οὐ προφητῶν ἤκουσας, οὐ νόμον ἐμελέτησας, οὐ θάλατταν εἶδες σχιζομένην, οὐχ ἕτερόν τι σημεῖον ἑώρακας παρ' ἐμοῦ γενόμενον· ὑβρίσθης δὲ μᾶλλον παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἐξηπορήθης· ἀπηγόρευσά σου τὸ πάθος, καὶ οὐκ ἀνεχώρησας, ἀλλὰ παρέμεινας· λοιπὸν ἀπόλαβε καὶ σὺ παρ' ἐμοῦ ἀξίαν καὶ πρέπουσαν εὐφημίαν· Ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις. Ἀπέθανεν ἡ γυνὴ, καὶ τὸ ἐγκώμιον αὐτῆς μένει, διαδήματος ὂν λαμπρότερον. Ὅπου ἐὰν ἀπέλθῃς, ἀκούεις τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος, Ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις. Εἴσελθε εἰς Περσῶν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἀκούσεις τοῦ 52.460 Χριστοῦ λέγοντος, Ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις· εἰς τὴν Γότθων, εἰς τὴν βαρβάρων, εἰς τὴν Ἰνδῶν, εἰς τὴν Μαύρων, ὅσην ἥλιος ἐφορᾷ γῆν· ἕνα λόγον ὁ Χριστὸς ἐφθέγξατο, καὶ οὐ σιωπᾷ ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ ἀνακηρύττει τὴν πίστιν αὐτῆς, λέγων, Ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις· γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. Οὐκ εἶπε, Θεραπευθήτω τὸ θυγάτριόν σου· ἀλλ', Ὡς θέλεις. Σὺ αὐτὴν θεράπευσον· σὺ γενοῦ ἰατρός· σοὶ ἐγχειρίζω τὸ φάρμακον· ὕπαγε, ἐπίθες, Γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. Τὸ θέλημά σου θεραπευσάτω αὐτήν. Ἡ Χαναναία θελήματι ἐθεράπευσε, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐ θεραπεύει; Γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. Οὐδὲ ἐκέλευσεν ἡ γυνὴ, οὐδὲ ἐπέταξε τῷ δαιμονίῳ, ἀλλ' ἠθέλησε μόνον, καὶ τὸ θέλημα τῆς γυναικὸς ἐθεράπευσε, καὶ δαίμονας ἐξέβαλε. Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ τολμῶντες λέγειν, ὅτι δι' εὐχῆς ὁ Υἱὸς ἤνυσε; Γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. Βλέπε καὶ τῆς λέξεως τὴν εὐγένειαν· τὸν Πατέρα τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μιμεῖται.

Ὅτε γὰρ ἐποίει τὸν οὐρανὸν ὁ Θεὸς, εἶπε, Γενηθήτω ὁ οὐρανὸς, καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ οὐρανός· γενηθήτω ἥλιος, καὶ ἐγένετο ἥλιος· γενηθήτω γῆ, καὶ ἐγένετο γῆ· ἐπιτάγματι τὴν οὐσίαν ἤγαγεν. Οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς, Γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. Ἡ συγγένεια τῆς λέξεως τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς φύσεως ἔδειξε. Καὶ ἱάθη ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτῆς. Πότε; Ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης· οὐκ ἐξ ὅτου ἦλθεν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ, ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν. Ἦλθεν εὑρεῖν δαιμονιῶσαν, καὶ εὗρεν ὑγιαίνουσαν, τῷ θελήματι αὐτῆς θεραπευθεῖσαν. Ὑπὲρ δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων εὐχαριστήσωμεν τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι αὐτῷ πρέπει δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.