Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings August 14, 2011

The Woman of Canaan at the Feet of Christ

Daily Readings for: August 14, 2011
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: God our Father, may we love you in all things and above all things and reach the joy you have prepared for us beyond all our imagining. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Angelus Domini (The Angel of the Lord)

14th

Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

But the woman came and did him 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 her daughter was healed from that hour (Matt 15:25-28).

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 56:1, 6-7. The theme of the prophet here is the call of the Gentiles to the service of the true God on the great day which is to come. The temple of that future messianic age will be a "house of prayer" for all peoples.

The second reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 11:13-15, 29-32. In this reading Paul admits clearly that in the Christian Church is the fulfillment of all the hopes and promises made to Israel, yet this fulfillment of Judaism is composed of Gentiles as well as Israelites. Paul here calls himself the apostle to the Gentiles but still prays that the Israelite rejection of Jesus may one day be reversed. (Excerpted from A Celebrants Guide to the New Sacramentary - A Cycle by Kevin W. Irwin)

The Gospel is from St. Matthew 15:21-28. There is a lesson, a very necessary one, for all of us in this episode of Christ's public life. It is the necessity of perseverance in our prayers of petition. Prayer is an essential part of our Christian life, and the essential part of prayer is that of adoration and thanksgiving, but prayer of petition has a big part in our daily prayers. We have so many spiritual and temporal needs, needs which we cannot provide by ourselves. Christ himself has told us to ask Him for these needs: "ask and you shall receive."

Do we ask with the fervor and perseverance which prove that we have "great faith"? That faith is the proof which Christ needs before He grants our requests. The Canaanite woman of whom we have just heard is for us an example of that deep-seated faith and trust in Christ's power and Christ's goodness. Even though He ignored her she continued to beseech Him, and when He answered with what seemed a direct refusal, her faith and trust did not waver. She answered His reason for refusal with another statement which showed that the granting of her petition would not in any way interfere with or impede His primary task, His mission to His father's chosen people. This was the proof of great faith which He required. He granted her request.

We must imitate and learn from this pagan mother. Her love for her child made her ready to undergo every hardship or suffering for the restoration to health of her loved one. When we turn to Christ in our needs is our faith in Him as sincere and unwavering as was this woman's? No doubt it often is, and yet we do not get the desired answer. As Christians we know that our particular request may not always be for our good, or for the final good of the person for whom we are praying. In that case, the good God will not grant what would be to our eternal disadvantage. But if our prayer is sincere and persevering, we shall always get an answer, and one which is better than what we asked for.

How often do we wonder at or perhaps doubt God's mercy when we see, for example, the young father of a family being taken from his loved and helpless ones, notwithstanding the prayers and tears of his wife and children. Where is God's mercy here? Where is His answer to these sincere prayers? But who are we to question God's mercy? The answer is there and often clear enough: that death brings out in his relatives and neighbors virtues which they would otherwise never have had occasion to practice - virtues that will earn for them eternal life.

It is only when we get to heaven - and getting to heaven is our purpose in life - that we shall see how our prayers, sincere and persevering, were answered by God.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 15:21-28

“O woman, great is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28)

Can you imagine having your request rejected by Jesus three different times, as happened to this woman? First, Jesus ignored her. Then he says he wasn’t sent to Gentiles, only to Jews. Finally, he implies that she is not much more than a “dog” (Matthew 15:26). How discouraging this must have been! But she would not be denied, and Jesus finally grants her request.

Now do you really think that Jesus was going to leave this poor woman’s daughter in the grip of demonic possession? Isn’t it possible, instead, that he was using this opportunity to teach his disciples something?

Jesus showed his disciples that God’s mercy and love extend to everyone. In all his words in this episode, he seemed to emphasize the fact that she was a pagan. But in the end he praised her great faith, making it clear that anyone who turns to him in faith will be welcomed, not just the “right people,” not just faithful Jews.

Surely Peter remembered this episode when he was invited later to share the gospel with the Roman centurion Cornelius. Breaking with Jewish tradition, Peter enters the offi - cer’s house and tells him: “You know that it is unlawful for a Jewish man to associate with, or visit, a Gentile, but God has shown me that I should not call any person profane or unclean” (Acts 10:28). As a result of Peter’s attitude, Gentiles were baptized for the fi rst time, and the church was opened to people of all races and backgrounds.

Just as he did with Peter and the others, Jesus wants to expand our vision. He wants everyone to be saved, not just the ones we might consider worthy. So be on the lookout today for situations where you can share the love of Christ with someone you might otherwise pass by. You may be surprised at who you discover is willing to listen.

“Lord, help me to put aside anything that hinders your plan. Give me your heart so that I can bring others to yourself.”

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

(Isaiah 56:1,6-7; Psalm 67:2-3,5-6,8; Romans 11:13-15,29-32; Matthew 15:21-28)

1. In the first reading, Isaiah says, “Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.” What do you think this means? How does it apply to you?

2. Also Isaiah speaks of the all-inclusiveness of God’s love; all peoples are welcome in God’s house. Who are the people you exclude from your love or God’s love? What steps can you take to change that? Take some time now to pray for these people.

3. In the responsorial psalm, the psalmist prays for God’s mercy and blessing, not just for himself but so that God’s “way be known upon earth; among all nations your salvation.” Who are some of today’s nations that need to turn back to God? Why not also take some time now to pray for these nations that need God’s blessing and knowledge of his wonderful salvation.

4. In the second reading, St. Paul prays for God’s mercy on his fellow Jewish countrymen and for their conversion. Are their any Jewish persons you know that need to come to know God’s great love for them? Why not join your prayers with Paul’s and pray for the conversion of the Jewish people, and any specific Jewish persons you know.

5. In the Gospel, why do you think Jesus praises the great faith of the Canaanite woman? Her faith can certainly be seen in her perseverance in asking Jesus to heal her daughter, in spite of the initial lack of response. What are the situations in which you struggle to persevere in prayer, because the prayers don’t seem to be answered? Take some time now to pray for these situations.

6. The meditation ends with these challenging words: “be on the lookout today for situations where you can share the love of Christ with someone you might otherwise pass by. You may be surprised at who you discover is willing to listen.” What steps can you take during the day to respond to this challenge?

7. Take some time now and pray that you would have the grace, courage, and boldness to reach out to others with the love of Christ. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Daily Marriage Tip for August 14, 2011:

“A Canaanite woman … called out, “Have pity on me, Lord! … My daughter is tormented by a demon” (Mt 15:22). Jesus healed the daughter. Sometimes it is our intense love for our children that drives us to seek God. Let a child be a vehicle of grace for you today.

Sunday Scripture Study

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle A

August 14, 2011

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer

First Reading: Isaiah 56:1,6-7

Psalm: 67:2-3,5-6,8

Second Reading: Romans 11:13-15,29-32

Gospel Reading: Matthew 15:21-28

This Sunday’s Gospel takes place right after a discussion between Jesus and his opponents, the Pharisees, who are critical of Jesus’ disciples for not following their interpretations of the minute details of the Jewish purity laws (Matthew 15:1-20).

Many of these Pharisees (the name means “separated ones”) made it a point to not associate with those whom they felt did not live up to these laws. They also distanced themselves from Gentiles (non-Jews) whom they considered unclean. They would not even enter their house for fear of defilement (John 18:28-29).

After this confrontation, Jesus takes a nearly 100-mile round trip “detour” to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon (present day Lebanon). Sidon was named after the son of Canaan (see Genesis 10:15-19), forefather of the original inhabitants of the Holy Land who were traditional bitter enemies of the Jews.

Though Jesus is sometimes seen to be taking a cold approach to the Canaanite woman seeking his aid, he is in fact mimicking the “separateness” of the Pharisees to highlight their blindness and to make a point about how God, on the other hand, shows no partiality (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Colossians 3:25; James 2:1,9).

QUESTIONS:

Regarding the 2^nd Reading: from what religious roots does Christianity come? If you are not ethnically Jewish, what do those roots make you, as a believer in Christianity? With what kind of awe, then, should you regard Judaism? With what kind of awe should you regard the grace of God in you?

In the 1^st Reading, the prophet Isaiah foretells the inclusion of Gentiles in the kingdom of God, and the enthusiasm and sincerity of their worship. How well are you fulfilling this prophecy?

Look at a map of Israel in Jesus’ time. Where is Tyre and Sidon in relation to Jerusalem?

How would Jesus’ accusers in verses 1-20 have viewed his 100-mile “detour” to the region of Tyre and Sidon? Would they have likely done the same? Why or why not?

What do we learn about the Canaanite woman? How are you like her? Not like her?

What do we learn about Jesus? About Jesus’ attitude toward non-Jews?

When you deal with needy people or “outsiders,” are you more like the disciples or Jesus? Why? How has God gone a long distance to heal you?

Do you ever feel “put off” by the Lord? What happens to your faith when God appears not to answer? Do you give up, or do you persist? Do you seek Jesus with expectant faith?

Closing Prayer

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 528, 781, 439, 448, 2610

Persevere in prayer. Persevere, even when your efforts seem barren. Prayer is always fruitful.

–St. Josemaria Escriva

The Sin of Lazarus

Pastor’s Column

August 21, 2011

Father Gary is on sabbatical. In his absence we are printing
some of his favorite columns. This one was originally printed
on September 26, 2004.

Here’s a bible trivia question for you: In the gospel of the rich man and Lazarus, what was the rich man’s name? The answer, of course, is that the gospel doesn’t say, but tradition gives him the name of “Dives”. Dives was a guy who had it all. He lived well, ate well, dressed well. It doesn’t appear that he was an obvious sinner either.

This leads us to the second Bible trivia question: what was the sin of Dives? (Not so trivial since he seems to have ended up in torment). What got Dives in trouble was not so much a sin he committed as one he omitted. In other words, Dives saw someone in need, day after day,

and did nothing. Dives did nothing and that was his sin!!

This must have been a shocking gospel for the people of Jesus’ time. They believed that the more money, wealth, health, success and good food you had, the more God loved you. We can sometimes tend to fall into the same trap. The incredible thing is that although Lazarus has infirmities, is a beggar, has little to eat, and wears rags for clothes; he is the one who is really blessed by God, and not the man who had it all. What Lazarus lacked in life turned out to be the best thing possible.

This gospel always makes me stop and pray about my response. When I encounter someone in need in my life, school, work, and church, do I pretend not to notice? I can’t respond to every needy person, but how often do I notice others? Sometimes all we need to give is a willing ear! The moral of the story is: God notices every act of kindness and he always remembers!

Father Gary

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2763421/posts?page=45#45

August 14

20th Sunday - "Have pity on me Lord...."

Jean Drouais

"Woman, great is your faith . . ."

Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081411.cfm

Is 56: 1, 6-7

Rm 11: 13-15, 29-32

Mt 15: 21-28

The United States has been referred to as a melting pot of cultures and languages. Indeed it is true the history of this nation is one of welcoming the stranger among us. The famous poem by Emma Lazarus on the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York reads “. . . Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, . .” It is a beautiful image of hope and tolerance for the oppressed and frightened. My grandparents, as so many millions, came to this country hoping for a better life and they found it.

But the reality is that this nation once was divided by the scourge of slavery and torn apart by a war. Many of us are old enough to remember race riots between black and white in American cities. Today the issue of the illegal immigrant continues to wear away at our Nation’s psyche. Though we are a generally peaceful and tolerant people we also, deep down, are more comfortable with those who are like us rather than different from us.

This Sunday’s Gospel is a moment in the cultural insight of ancient times. Both the Apostles and Jesus himself recognize this difference in the woman who “cries out” for Jesus to heal her daughter. While the Apostles would rather she just leave them alone, “Send her away for she keeps calling out after us.. .” Jesus takes the time to listen to her plea – albiet in a surprising way.

What may seem on the surface to be a kind of put down of the woman, totally out of character for how we imagine Jesus would deal with others who plead for his help, could also be interpreted as loyalty and insight. Though the Caananite woman is clearly not Jewish, her heart wrenching plea for her daughter’s healing moves Jesus to go beyond cultural restrictions. The first reading from Isaiah indicates this as the will of God.

In Isaiah we read, “The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, ministering to him, loving the name of the Lord, and becoming his servants . . . and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain . . .” (Is 56: 6). It seems that the woman was one of those foreigners who joined herself to the Lord with total faith and trust that God in Jesus could do something for her daughter. So, this is more than a healing story. It is also a foreshadow of the mission to the Gentiles, to the world as a whole, that the Holy Spirit would empower the Apostles and Paul after the resurrection.

A wise person once said: “We all have prejudices. What we do with them is the important issue.” Jesus was just reflecting the focus of his mission to the Jews but did not let that mission prevent him from the higher value of compassion and love. To her loyalty, her faith in him, Christ granted her request to heal her daughter: “O woman, great is your faith,” Jesus acclaimed.

So, the readings this Sunday call us to reflect not only on our own prejudices, or at least our resistance to seek out or respond to those different from us. Jesus’ belief in the dignity of every human person moved him to reach out to lepers, the blind, to women, to the multitude of the poor, to this Caananite woman, and to recognize that all deserve a hearing.

Our laws, and correctly so, say that one must enter this country by legal means. This is clearly one of the most emotional social issues today. But the Church also recognizes the human needs of people. The need for food, for shelter, for clothing, for safety and that principle, which puts the human person as a greater good drives the mission of the Church to reach out to all who are in need. But, it is a tough call as we hold the value of due process and the law as a great good.

The Gospel today recognizes the dignity of the person, regardless of social status or cultural limitation, as a great good that Jesus’ responds to. It was not just her need for a healthy child but an encounter with faith in Jesus. God made us all in his image and our call is to form our lives with Gospel values.

When we find ourselves uncomfortable with people different from us, what choice do we make? Do we ignore them? Mumble behind their backs about “those kind?” Avoid them all together? Or do we make an effort to see those who are different as a reflection of the living God?

The Eucharist is a moment of unity between all who celebrate it. With Christ in our midst, we proclaim our loyalty to him, we seek his healing and forgiveness, and we say to those around us that we are brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let’s not be afraid to push the envelope and go beyond our comfort level knowing that if we plead with the Lord for our own needs, as the Caananite woman, that our loyalty will be acknowledged: "Great is your faith!"

Fr. Tim

Insight Scoop

Lost sheep, silver spoons, and "the mother of the Gentiles"

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, August 14, 2011 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Isa 56:1, 6-7
• Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
• Rom 11:13-15, 29-32
• Mt 15:21-28

Those raised in privilege and wealth are said to have been “born with a silver spoon in their mouth.” Money and status can certainly be an advantage when it comes to one’s career, education, and relationships. But there are no spiritual silver spoons. Our social connections, incomes, and talents cannot put us in right relationship with God.

This fact should be obvious to us. But human nature, fallen and proud, is tempted to rely on temporal advantages when it comes to eternal realities.

One of the great challenges Jesus faced was the deeply rooted belief, held by many of his fellow Jews, that because they were Jewish, they had it made—that is, they were right with God, while Gentiles were not. Contact with Gentiles, or pagans—who did not worship the one true God—was kept to a minimum; too much contact could result in physical and spiritual impurity. “The Jews are extremely loyal toward one another,” observed the first-century Roman historian Tacitus (ca. 56-ca. 117), “and always ready to show compassion, but toward every other people they feel only hate and enmity” (The Histories, 5.5). The enmity was so strong that Gentiles were sometimes called “dogs.”

Jesus did not, of course, downplay the false beliefs and immoral actions of pagans. Rather, he pointed out that they also were invited to enter into a saving covenant with Yahweh, the God of all men. As today’s reading from the prophet Isaiah demonstrates, this was not a new idea: “for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” But it was not a popular idea due, in part, to the brutal mistreatment Jews sometimes endured at the hands of certain Gentiles. Yet it was also due to spiritual blindness and an unwillingness to accept the words of the prophets.

Matthew’s Gospel, written for a Jewish audience, described how and why Jesus, after meeting stiff resistance from his fellow Jews, began preaching to Gentiles. Today’s Gospel is a dramatic example of how Jesus bridged the great chasm between the two groups.

Having had yet another clash with the Pharisees, who he described as “blind guides” (Matt 15:14), Jesus left Galilee and went into pagan territory on the Phoenician coast, which is modern-day Lebanon. At the same time, a Canaanite woman came to meet him. We don’t know how she knew of Jesus, which makes her greeting all the more audacious and remarkable: “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!”

In speaking so boldly to a Jewish man, she trampled upon the social norms of the day. But her boldness seemed, at first, to be counter-productive. Jesus ignored her. Or did he? Is it not true that God sometimes seems to be silent and to ignore us? Jesus’ lack of response was, it appears, meant to do two things: elicit her remarkable public statement of faith and show his disciples what is most important in the Kingdom of God.

“This woman,” wrote Epiphanus the Latin, a late fifth-century Christian commentator, “is the mother of the Gentiles, and she knew Christ through faith.” Confronted with divine silence, she did not waver, but pleaded a second time, “Lord, help me.” Then, having been rebuffed by the standard Jewish perspective of the time, she demonstrated profound humility and faith, readily accepting the label of a dog. “Faith accepts what work does not merit,” remarked Epiphanus, “and through faith the Gentiles were made children out of dogs.”

Jesus’ response was equally surprising, for his acclamation—“O woman, great is your faith!”—was filled with respect and affection. By saying, “Let is be done for you as you wish,” he acknowledged the purity of her faith and intentions, something he could not do for the Pharisees, despite their education, position, and power. As he stated later, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt 23:13). The Canaanite woman, humble is spirit, had no need for silver spoons, being blessed beyond measure with divine love and communion with God.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the August 17, 2008, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Regnum Christi

Ask and You Shall Receive

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Aug. 14, 2011)

August 14, 2011
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 15:21-28
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." He answered, "It is not fair to take the children´s food and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters´ table." Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Introductory Prayer: I believe in you, my God. You called me into existence from nothingness and carefully watch over me. You have even numbered the hairs of my head. I trust in your infinite goodness, and I abandon into your loving hands my fears, my hopes, my needs, my desires, everything. I love you, Lord, and I wish to love you with all my mind, heart, soul and strength.

Petition: Lord, grant that these moments of conversation will build my trust in you.

1. Bold Prayer: We are often timid and bashful in asking others for what we need when we assume that we will be “putting them out” with our request. We put ourselves in their place and think, “I don’t want to be a bother to them.” But Christ wants us to be bold in prayer! What does it “cost” God to grant us his grace? More than what he has already freely given us — his Son? To think that we are “bothering” God when we ask him for things is to pray to a distant and unfamiliar God. Did not Christ guarantee us that if we asked the Father (“Abba”, “Daddy”) for anything in his name, it would be granted? The Canaanite woman’s loud pleas were not bothering Christ in the least. How different Christ’s reactions are to ours, which are so often like those of his disciples!

2. Prayer Unanswered? It is difficult to humble ourselves and admit that we need help, that we can’t completely take care of ourselves. Our pride and human respect often keep us from asking for what we need. The Canaanite woman didn’t seem to mind: she presented herself before Christ and others as a beggar. Now the Gospel text records, “But he did not answer her at all.” One might think Christ respondede to her act of humility with a rather cold, even degrading reception. Was Christ being insensitive? Of course not! He knew how strong this woman’s faith was, and he put it to the test precisely so that others throughout the centuries could marvel at her simple faith. There are often many hidden reasons why Christ doesn’t readily answer our prayers. Let us return to Christ humbly, with faith and hope, when we feel slighted or ignored by him.

3. Efficacious Prayer: An efficacious prayer is a humble prayer. We are super-sensitive when we are hurt. This Canaanite woman was already very hurt by the condition of her daughter and the scolding of the disciples. Had she not had such simple faith and hope, Christ’s words to her could have been enough to send her “over the top.” When we are hurt, we easily jump to conclusions and become offended. Once our pride is injured, we are often blind to the good someone wishes us or performs for us. How many souls have spent long years away from Christ because they have clung to past hurts and been blinded to God’s often mysterious pedagogy?

Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, too often I have given up on prayer without really trying, convinced that you don’t listen to me. I am sorry for judging you. Help me persevere in asking you for the good things I need. Help me overcome any shame or human respect, so that I can increase my faith, hope and love for you.

Resolution: I will meditate on an “unanswered” prayer in my life, trying to understand how Christ could have answered it in an unexpected, yet superior way.

Homily of the Day

There are No Foreigners in the Reign of God

August 14th, 2011 by Rev. Joseph A. Pellegrino, Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL

Is 56: 1, 6-7 / Rom 11:13-15, 29-32 / Mt 15:21-28

The readings for this Sunday are among the most difficult passages in the Bible. St. Paul seems to be talking in circles when he says to the Romans: “If the rejection of the Jews has meant reconciliation for the world, what would their acceptance mean, nothing less than life from the dead.” In the Gospel, Jesus appears to be cold, even callous to the woman crying out for help. First he refuses to help her saying, ‘My mission is only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then, he appears to insult her by saying, “it is not right to take the food of the sons and daughters and feed it to the dogs.” We need to spend some time trying to understand these readings so we can profit from the Church’s message to us today.

First of all, let’s look at the reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Can you imagine the terrible opposition St. Paul had to face when he tried to convince the pagans to become Christian? Here he was, a Jew, telling gentiles or non-Jews, that salvation has come through Jesus, also a Jew. Many of Paul’s own people, the Jewish people in the area, said that Paul was insane. Still, the Gentiles followed Christ. That’s why Paul says, “If so many of the gentiles listened to me, a former pharisee, and follow Jesus despite the opposition of the Jews, imagine what would happen if the Jews were to accept Jesus. The whole world would be Christian.” Then, building on this concept, Paul reasons (in my paraphrase of his words): Well, you gentiles ignored what your consciences told you was right when you embraced pagan atrocities like orgies, etc. By going against your consciences, you were sinning; you were being disobedient to God. But your very disobedience became an occasion for you to receive God’s mercy. Now the Jews, who are the chosen people of the Lord, have also disobeyed God’s will, by rejecting the Christ. Still, their disobedience can result in God’s mercy being extended to them if they call out to God in faith. Jews and Gentiles have sinned, but God’s mercy is greater than their sins.

And God’s mercy and love is available to all. That is what is at the heart of the gospel passage. The Canaanite woman who seeks help at first receives the response she should expect from a Jew: “It is not right to take the food of the sons and daughters and throw it to the dogs.” This follows the Jewish custom of speaking about the gentiles as dogs. Jesus purposely spoke in a way that the Jews would expect a Jew to speak. Then he turns the tables on them. Because this woman has great faith and persists in pleading for her child, he heals her daughter.

In Christ all divisions and differences between people are irrelevant. You might remember Paul’s passage in Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. All are one in Christ.” God’s mercy is extended to all who call upon him in faith.

As obvious as this seems, there have been people throughout the world and throughout history who do not recognize the equality of all people before the Lord. We have just concluded a century that was dominated by the events leading to and resulting from the worst war mankind has ever suffered. Nazism claimed that certain people were far more blessed by God than others. For them anyone who was not part of the Aryan race was an inferior human being. Taken to its extreme, the Nazis had no difficulties in killing gypsies, Jews, and others they claimed were a burden to God’s plan for mankind.

Outside of Christianity, the world has been suffering from radical Islam. These people think that they are serving God by murdering innocent people, including children. It is shocking that these radicals behave like cowards yet think that they are courageous fighters.

Here in America there have also been people who have decided that they were more blessed by the Lord than others, as though God put them in charge of establishing a pecking order for him. There was a time when Americans believed, and some still believe, that wealth demonstrates a special relationship to the Lord. The implication was that those without wealth are a lesser part of His creation. There was a time when Americans believed, and some still believe, that their race or their ethnic background was more blessed by the Lord than others. Sadly our country is still suffering from militaristic white supremacist groups that have the gall to claim God’s blessing upon what is in fact their rejection of Christianity. How dare they sing “Onward Christian Soldiers” and speak about the Lord Jesus while they make plans to attack African-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Asian-Americans and anybody else that does not share their ethnic background?

Jesus Christ will not exclude anyone from God’s love and mercy. But those who think they have a right to focus their infantile insecurities into hatred of others have themselves excluded Christ from their own lives.

The tables have been turned. The former enemy of God’s plan, the Canaanite, has now received the blessing of God. The tables have been turned. Those who had refused to acknowledge the existence of the one God, the pagans, have now become the most fervent believers. The tables have been turned. Those from foreign continents whose ancestors never heard of Jesus have become true Christians. And those of us whose ancestors were called to follow the Lord many generations ago have been invited to share the bread of the Lord, the compassion of Christ, with all who call out to Him in mercy and love.

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, August 14, 2011 >>

20th Sunday Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
View Readings

Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8
Matthew 15:21-28

IS YOUR CATHOLIC CHURCH CATHOLIC?

"My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." —Isaiah 56:7

Is your church filled with members who are young and old, black and white, male and female, poor and rich, U.S. citizens and internationals? Many Catholic churches in the USA are filled with old, white, upper-middle class, American women. We thank God for these women. They are the precious remnant who are helping the church survive.

Nevertheless, where are the men and the young? We need these members of the body of Christ (see 1 Cor 12:21ff). We American Catholics formerly were the church of the poor, but now the poor would not feel welcome in most of our gatherings. We white folks desperately need our African-American brothers and sisters. Moreover, if our traditionally immigrant American Catholic Church doesn't evangelize the new immigrants from Vietnam, Korea, China, Mexico, Central America, Africa, and Muslim countries, are we truly catholic, that is, universal?

What can we do to be truly catholic? Break new ground. Invite African-American, Asian, or Hispanic people over for supper. Sponsor a foreign student. Make your house a place where young people find Jesus. Live a more austere life in solidarity with the poor. Challenge a man to follow Jesus. Be Catholic in the true sense of the word.

Prayer: Father, may I make my church representative of the body of Christ.

Promise: "Woman, you have great faith! Your wish will come to pass." —Mt 15:28

Praise: Praise Jesus, Who came to earth "so that God may be all in all"! (1 Cor 15:28) Glory to our awesome, abundant God!

"Aren't you glad your mother didn't have an abortion?"

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY MT 15:21-28

Sometimes God tests our faith

By Fr. Jack Peterson, YA

Jesus is uncharacteristically tough on the Canaanite woman in this week’s Gospel passage from Matthew. Usually, when someone comes to the Lord with a request and a hint of faith, He is pretty quick to acknowledge their faith and offer a gift of healing and new life. This woman faces a test.

Jesus withdraws to the region of Tyre and Sidon where a woman approaches and calls out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”

At first, Jesus simply ignores her and does not respond. That is the first test. His disciples even try to send her away, but she perseveres in her quest.

Next, Jesus responds with, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This would have been taken as a rebuff because she was a Canaanite, therefore a foreigner, a Gentile. But the woman refuses to give up. She approaches Jesus again, does him homage and says, “Lord, help me.”

A third time, Jesus snubs her: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Yet, her faith in Jesus remains strong, and she seems OK with the idea of simply having what is given to the family pet: “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” In the end, all nourishment, even for the dogs, comes from the master. She will take what she can get.

Jesus deals with each of us individually, according to our needs at the present moment. In this encounter, Jesus, motivated by His wisdom and charity, chooses to test the Canaanite woman’s faith, which turns out to be quite impressive. She responds with a faith marked by humility and perseverance, even in the face of a series of apparent rebuffs.

The truth is that God is not afraid to test our faith and our love for Him. It is important to realize that the test flows from His love for us. God tests our faith sometimes for our good and the good of others. The test makes our faith real and personal. Love is not truly love until it has been tested in fire. Faith is not really faith until it has been tested as well. The test purifies our faith of selfishness and pride; it deepens our radical trust in His goodness and divine providence. The test prepares us for other crosses that we will face down the road in our roles as believer, parent, priest/consecrated or lay leader.

We see Jesus testing the faith of others in the Gospels as well. He tests Jairus, the Synagogue leader, when he pauses on the way to his house to cure his sickly daughter in order to heal and bring new life to the woman afflicted with hemorrhages. While he heals this woman, Jairus’ daughter dies. In the end, Jesus goes to his house and raises her from the dead, but the news of her death must have been quite the test of Jairus’ faith. We also see Jesus testing the faith of the rich young man when He says to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

St. Paul, who knew a thing or two about being tested, teaches us something that is very comforting about God’s work in our lives. St. Paul reminds us that God never tests us beyond our ability. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul states: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:13). Sometimes it is only by God’s grace that we can endure certain trials and crosses. Sometimes it seems like we can’t hang on any more, especially if we rely only on our own powers, and we are tempted to give up. We should take courage in the knowledge that God will always provide. He will always offer us the grace needed to “endure it.”

Let us pray: Jesus, open my heart this day to the height and depth and breath of your mercy and love. Stir into flame the great gift of faith that you have already given to me. When life gets really difficult and my faith is tested, give me confidence in the infinite power of your grace. May I trust in You no matter how difficult the test is. In the end, may I be graced to hear You respond: “O woman/man, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”

Fr. Peterson is assistant chaplain at Marymount University in Arlington and director of the Youth Apostles Institute in McLean.

Daily Readings for: August 14, 2011(Readings on USCCB website)