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Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Readings
First Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Responsorial: Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8
Second Reading: Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081620.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/
While we were in Prague, we made a point to go to the Church of Our Lady Victorious to see the Infant of Jesus of Prague. The pastor, Padre Anastasio Roggero, a Discalced Carmelite friar, shared with us some of the history of his mission in Prague and his missionary work in Africa. He mentioned that since the pandemic began, he’s seen a lot more locals at church – people he has never seen in his 20+ years at the shrine. I would suggest there are many reasons for this, not least of which is worry about the pandemic, income, and all the strange events occurring this year.
One of the great blessings of the pandemic is that so many faith communities are streaming masses online as well as other devotions. There are even small faith communities that have arranged rosaries via Zoom, WhatsApp or other streaming services. It’s evangelization at its finest and I think it’s beautiful.
As people – people we don’t know and maybe have never seen before – come to the pews or through online avenues to pray, I think we all as disciples need to be sensitive to their needs. Maybe they are not ready to fully reconnect with the Church. Maybe at some level they are embarrassed or afraid, so they try to stay at the margins. We disciples of Christ Jesus need to be ready to reach out to them if only with a warm and welcoming smile. And we need to be ready to answer even their most basic of questions, like point out where the restrooms are at church.
We shouldn’t be worried or bothered or angry that strangers are showing up in our churches. Our whole mission is supposed to be about reaching out and to bring them home. As our response to today’s psalm reminds us, “O God, let all the nations praise you!” In a way, all three readings today talk about people coming to the faith.
Isaiah tells us that as long as they join themselves to the Lord, the foreigners are welcome. He outlines some very basic requirements; the point is that the doors of the Kingdom are open to everyone who is willing to accept the Lord.
Paul builds on this idea in our second reading from Romans. His mission was to go out the Gentiles and to the Jews, (see Acts 9:15, ‘Go, because this one is a chosen vessel to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and children of Israel). <1> This is a bit of an aside, but interestingly he introduces a bit of divine irony. Just as the Chosen had been punished in the Old Testament for imitating their pagan neighbors in the past, now Paul hopes they will imitate the Gentiles who have found faith in God through Christ Jesus. The point is that we must be willing to reach out and accept all those coming home who want to rekindle their faith in God through Jesus.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses rather harsh language to try to put off a Canaanite who is begging him for God’s mercy. But the power of her faith is so compelling, that Jesus grants her request. This reinforces the idea that God’s mercy and compassion are available to everyone!
Now let’s talk a little bit about this Canaanite woman – specifically about her beautiful prayer. From the Gospel, we can determine that she is not a Jew. But that doesn’t stop her from asking for God’s help through Jesus. Let’s look at how she approaches Jesus.
She comes to Jesus with faith. By calling him “Lord”, she trusts his divine authority and believes with every fiber of her being that Jesus will deliver. She persistently asks Jesus three times for help. And she is humble before the Lord even bearing the insult of being compared to a dog. She knows she has no claim to God or to Jesus, but she prostrates before Jesus and begs him for his help. <2>
She gives us a really a simple and beautiful example of prayer. I think this is important because some of the people who are coming to church may be in such a state that they do not know where to begin or even how to pray. But the Canaanite woman’s simple example is a great starting place for us in our own faith lives, and for those who need a refresher on how to talk with God.
Bottom line: be ready to help welcome people you don’t know to church. If they or someone you know needs some help praying to God, teach them the simple formula from today’s Gospel. First, approach God with faith. Second, be persistent in prayer. You may need to bring your petition to God multiple times. Finally, come in humility acknowledging that God is God, and that neither you nor I are a god.
Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions this week:
- How is my prayer life? Maybe I could give the Canaanite woman’s method of prayer a try, just so I am able to share it with others?
- How can I be a welcoming presence in my faith community, both in-person and online?
I think doing our homework today will help us as disciples welcome the stranger. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!
Image Credit: Cross of Jesus Christ. JPEG file. Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christianity-Jesus_Christ_Died_for_your_Sin.jpg
Notes:
<1> Scott W. Hahn and Curtis Mitch, Romans, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2017) chap. “God’s Mercy for All: Romans 11:1-36”, sec. “Apostleship to the Gentiles (11:11-16)”, Kindle.
<2> Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010) chap. “Healing the Canaanite Woman’s Daughter and the Crowds (15:21-31)”, sec. 198, Kindle.
References:
1. Hahn, Scott W. and Curtis Mitch. Romans. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2017. Kindle.
2. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.
3. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. God’s love for Israel, 218-19
2. Jesus as Lord, 448-50
3. Kingdom first to Israel, 543-44
4. Israel’s unbelief, 591
5. Israel and the new Messiah, 674, 840
6. The catholicity of the Church, 831, 849
7. God’s mercy, 1037, 1846, 2040
8. Praying with faith, 2610
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081620.cfm
Lectionary: 118
Reading 1
Isaiah 56:1, 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.
Responsorial
Psalm 67
R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
Reading 2
Romans 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.
Alleluia Matthew 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, 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.