Mother Church invites us to celebrate Sunday, August 20, 2023, as the twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “God, our protector, keep us in mind; always give strength to your people. For if we can be with you even one day, it is better than a thousand without you. Amen.”
All the readings of this day’s Mass reflect the difficulties of the relationships between the inhabitants of Judea and people from other countries and races. However, the basic message through all these readings is that our God is a God of compassion, a God of love and a God of mercy, which he shows to us all, irrespective of our race, colour of the skin, tribal or ethnic affinities. Isaiah, in the First Reading, says that all of humanity will find a place around the Lord’s banquet table because our God is a generous God. In the Second Reading, Saint Paul recalls his Jewish birth but adds that all men and women, Jew and Gentile alike, will receive the mercy of the Lord. All they need to do is ask for it and it will be theirs for the taking. That is what happens to the Canaanite woman in Matthew’s Gospel of this day. She refuses to take “No!” for an answer, persisting in her request until the Lord grants her wish.
First Reading: Is 56: 6-7
Thus says the Lord: Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed. The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, ministering to him, loving the name of the Lord, and becoming his servants— all who keep the Sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
Comment
A few Sundays ago, we read from the prophecy of Isaiah and the brief history we gave of his life is worth repeating as it helps us to better appreciate the passage the Church has selected for our meditation. History tells us that the prophet Isaiah was born in about 765 BC and received his prophetic vocation while in prayer in the Temple of Jerusalem round about 740 BC. His principal mission was to urge his people, particularly those still living in exile, as well as those returning to Israel, to repent so as not to incur God’s anger because of their infidelity to his commandments. In fact, Isaiah interpreted the fall of Israel and of Judah as punishment for those nations’ infidelity to God’s covenant with them.
He is mainly concerned with the moral corruption resulting from the prosperity of Judah. Even though his involvement in his country’s affairs made him a national figure, his greatness lies above all in the religious order. To him the God of Israel is a Holy, Strong and Mighty God, the King of kings. Human beings are defiled by sin for which God demands reparation. God insists on justice among people and sincerity in divine worship. God looks for faithfulness among his people and Isaiah is the prophet of faith. This comes out clearly in the passage of our meditation this day.
In it, Isaiah tells us that all men and women are welcome to share in the privileges that God had previously reserved only for the Jews. In the restored Jerusalem, the Temple will open its doors to all peoples, Jew and Gentile alike. The Temple is now a house of prayer for everyone, including those who previously could not enter it. In the Israel of old, the Temple was out of bounds to eunuchs and to foreigners (Lev 22: 25; Dt 23: 2-9). The new Temple now receives all peoples of the earth and God’s presence attracts all nations under her roof.
In these new messianic times, blood ties are no longer the criteria for membership of the community of the people of God. It now suffices that a person keeps the moral teaching laid in the Old Covenant, and worship the true God. The mission of the Temple, which was rebuilt by the exiles after their return, is to openly invite all without exception to come and worship God as part of his people. This open invitation to humanity to come to the saving waters of the Lord will reach its fullness in the redemption brought by Christ Jesus.
Let us pray: “Lord God, you are clearly a God without borders, you reject discrimination of any sort and receive with open arms all your sons and daughters, who come to you for shelter. Send your Holy Spirit to guide and protect us as we journey towards your heavenly kingdom. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
Second Reading: Rom 11: 13-15. 29-32
Brothers and sisters: I am speaking to you, Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.
Comment
Saint Paul has always been very proud of his Jewish birth, being of the tribe of Benjamin, the last of Jacob’s sons, although he never ceases to boast of his mission to the nations, that is, the pagan world. He concludes his discussion on the place his people occupy in God’s plan by reminding non-Jews that they owe their calling and salvation to the infidelity of the Jewish people to their covenant with God. The place left vacant by the Jews has been filled by the Gentiles. This is a clear indication that God’s house does not belong to the Israelites only – even though they were the first to live in it – but it has a place for everyone, who calls to God for assistance.
Paul reminds all of us that those who have been baptized should feel humble and grateful for their Christian calling. We should therefore avoid resentment of others as there is a place in the Father’s Kingdom for everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike. As Jesus says in John 14:2, “in my Father’s house, there are many dwellings.”
God never goes back on any of his promises; therefore he continues to call all of us, believer and non-believer alike, to enter into his kingdom. He does not take account of our imperfections as he continues to love us with an everlasting love. It is God’s infinite love that makes it possible for everyone to be saved. God’s calling is eternal. Even when we abandon him, as the Jewish people have done, he continues to call us back to himself. He is a compassionate God, who is always waiting for his sons and daughters, to run back to him for shelter from the sins of this world.
Let us pray: “Holy Spirit, come down on us and strengthen our faith and lead us to always seek God’s mercy, through a good confession, whenever we go astray. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Gospel acclamation: “Alleluia, alleluia. Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom and cured every disease among the people. Alleluia.”
Gospel: Matthew 15: 21-28.
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus' disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us." He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.
Comment
In chapter 14 of Matthew’s Gospel, Herod beheads John the Baptist, a clear sign that the new movement initiated by John is beginning to meet stiff resistance from the Jewish leadership. Following John’s death, Jesus then steps in and takes over command by feeding five thousand men, not including women and children, with five loaves of bread and two fish. Shortly thereafter, he shows his divine power to his disciples by walking on the sea and calming its raging power.
In chapter 15, from where our reading is taken, Jesus begins to openly challenge the teachings of the elders, who pay more attention to the law than to the human person. To avoid further confrontation, he withdraws to the region of Tyra and Sidon where he meets a different type of confrontation, that of a Canaanite woman who refuses to take no for an answer, thus giving us a wonderful lesson in persistence in prayer.
This woman cries out to our Lord to help save her daughter, possessed by a demon. Despite her cries for help, Christ at first ignores her because she is not a Jew, a member of what he calls “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” However, the woman stubbornly refuses to give up. She continues to follow him and to cry out for help. She persists so much that Christ’s disciples themselves ask him to send her away. “Send her away,” they plead with him, “for she is crying after us.”
They are tired of listening to her cry and want to get rid of her but she would not go away. It is then that they turn to their Master and plead with him to give her what she wants so they would be at peace. However, Christ’s response is an astonishing one. “No, I won’t do it for I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel;” that is to the lost children of Israel, not to the Gentiles. As he still ignores her, the woman comes up and kneels down before him, crying out for help. This is a true example of humility and persistence, which finally wins our Lord over to her side.
When Christ tells her that it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs, this woman, armed with an unshakeable faith, refuses to accept his response. “Yes, Lord,” she says, “even the dogs do eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” With that response, she conquers our Lord’s heart, provoking from him not only one of the best compliments our Lord utters but also the miracle she has been asking for: “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire. And her daughter was healed instantly.” This was the reward for her perseverance.
The noble mothers, who appear in Sacred Scripture, are always seeking the best for their children. They know how to appeal to Jesus for assistance and favours. On one occasion, it was the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who approached the Lord to seek social promotion for her children. As Matthew puts it, “Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favour of him” (Mt 20:20). She wants Jesus to reserve places of favor in his kingdom for her two sons, with one sitting on his right side and the other on his left.
Another woman, who did not ask our Lord a favour but who drew his sympathy, was the widow of Nain, who was weeping for the young man who had been her only child (Lk 7:11-17). Of course, the Lord, being the compassionate person that he is, brought the young man back to life and gave him back to his mother. Saint Augustine relates in his famous book, Confessions, how his mother, Saint Monica, never ceased to implore God for his own conversion. One day, one bishop, thought to be Saint Ambrose, the saintly Bishop of Milan, reportedly told Saint Monica that a child of so many tears could never perish. And Saint Augustine says that if he did not perish in error, it was because of the daily tears of his mother, who was so full of faith. Mothers are precious!
God listens in a very special way to the prayer of those who know how to love, and mothers are in this special category. They want nothing but the best for their children; and God is not deaf to such pleas. He always grants the wishes of those who come to him for assistance. That is what he did for the Gentile woman in the Gospel of this day. The woman’s characteristic mark is perseverance in prayer.
Let us pray to God to strengthen our faith. Perseverance in prayer comes from a life of faith, of confidence that Jesus is always listening to us. This faith leads us to complete abandonment into the hands of God. Let us pray for humility in prayer. Humility is one of the virtues that earn the Canaanite woman the Lord’s favour. Prayer can rise up only from a humble and repentant heart. As the Psalmist says, “A humble and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise.” (Ps 50:19). Lord, come to my help, Lord give me assistance. Amen.
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