Twentieth Sunday of Year A

Is 56:6-7; Rom 11:13-15, 29-32; Matt 15:21-28

The readings this Sunday draw our attention to God's invitation and mercy to the entire humanity, to each and every one of us (without exception) and irrespective of whether we are  Christians, Moslems, Pagans, Atheists, Blacks, Whites etcetera.  All the three readings speak of the expansive and universal nature of the "Kingdom of God," in contrast with the protocol of the day which demanded that salvation should come first to the Jews and then to all the people of the earth

Everyone in the Church belongs here.  And there are billions of  people outside of the

Church who also belong here. All people from all lands and races belong in the Church.  The Kingdom of God is not a white or black Church.  It is not an Asian or Hispanic Church.  It is not an American or European but a universal Church to which all people belong.

In the First Reading (Isaiah 56:1.6-7), God extended salvation and deliverance to foreigners and indeed to all who would come to Him in worship in His house which is a place of prayer. In the Second Reading (Romans 11:13-15.29-32), St. Paul takes the discussion further by assuring the Gentiles of God's mercy which is a facility that is open to everyone. Among other things, St. Paul indicated that he is magnifying his ministry beyond the Jewish borders. All these are clear indications that God's divine activities, which include but not restricted to his justice and mercy, are not exclusively reserved for a privileged few, but for everyone irrespective of race or religion. In the Gospel reading (Matt.15:21-28), our Lord Jesus Christ withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon when a Canaanite woman met him and cried out saying: "HAVE MERCY ON ME, O LORD, SON OF DAVID; MY DAUGHTER IS SEVERELY POSSSESSED BY A DEMON". But our Lord did not answer a word. Seeing this "negligence", our Lord's disciples asked him to send her away so that she could stop her crying after them. That means that the woman continued calling without giving up. Often we give up after praying once or twice. 

At some point in the encounter, our Lord decided to answer her but did not address her problem. Rather, he  highlighted the known cultural and religious barrier between the Jews and non-Jews. Our Lord told her that he was sent only to lost sheep of the house of Israel. But the woman still did not give up. She changed her posture by kneeling before our Lord saying "Lord, help me". Here we meet our Lord Jesus Christ in an unyielding mood as he made another case by saying that it is not fair to take the children's bread and give same to dogs. 

Based on this point, the unrelenting Canaanite woman argued that even dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the master's table. It was at this point that our Lord turned and said to her "O woman of great faith! Let it be done as you desire". And her daughter got healed instantly. From this highly interesting episode we stand to learn and relearn so much in what would follow shortly.

Our Lord moved away from the Jewish region to the region of Tyre and Sidon, the ancient Phoenicia and present day Lebanon. The question could be asked why and what did he go there to do? Well the answer can be found in the Gospel episode. He went to a region outside the Jewish boundaries. Simply put, our Lord went beyond boarders to show that God is not limited to one particular region. In this region, only one person came to him for a passionate request not that she was the only person that had a challenge but she was the only one that saw the right solution to her problem. Many Canaanites who had issues may have given up the idea of coming to our Lord Jesus Christ with the idea that there is a barrier or boundary. The woman in question looked beyond the boundaries. She saw beyond the limits. 

The episode of the Gospel reminds me of the story of a priest who was invited to a family for dinner. After the well deserving meal and conviviality, the priest decided to pray and bless the family before leaving. After the general prayer, the priest was asked to pray for the children who were preparing to go back to school after their long vacation. Consequently, the mother of the house sent for the children to come for a special prayer. Four children came out for the prayers but while the prayer was going on, the mother of the house withdrew one child (a boy) from the other three. 

The priest noticed the exclusion but continued his prayers. At the end, he asked why the boy was excluded from the rest and the woman said that he is not one of her biological kids but a relation of the husband who had come for holidays. The priest was not satisfied over the reason why the boy was excluded and went further to ask if the boy goes school at all. He was told that he does and surprisingly attends the same school with the other children. The priest was so disappointed that such an act of exclusion could take place in such a family he knew to be very committed and religious. In reaction to this, he called the boy out and offered a more delightful and a fairly longer prayer over him alone and concluded with a warm hug before leaving.  

Consciously or unconsciously, we often fall into the act of setting up barriers between ourselves and others. It is actually a pity that most of the time, these barriers are unjustifiable. When God was setting up a people for Himself that would transmute to the universal community of God's people, He began with the people of Israel. However, they took the divine election for granted and felt that they were the only favoured ones and that God does not care about other people; this is acutely false and presumptuous.

The famous, Mohandas. K.  Gandhi in his autobiography tells how, during his days in South Africa as a young Indian lawyer, he read the Gospels and saw in the teachings of Jesus the answer to the major problem facing the people of India, the caste system. Seriously considering embracing the Christian faith, Gandhi went to a white-only church one Sunday morning, intending to talk to the pastor about the idea. When he entered the Church, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and told him to go and worship with his own colored people. Gandhi left the Church and never returned. "If Christians have caste differences also," he said, "I might as well remain a Hindu." (Fr. Munachi)

One surprising thing anyone reading this passage would notice is that our Lord ignored the request of the Canaanite woman at the first time she made the request. It was not a denial; it was rather a purposeful delay that was meant to raise the level of her faith. Often times, we feel that God cannot address our problem when we call upon Him and we don't seem to get an answer; delay is not denial. That was why our Lord Jesus Christ encouraged us in Luke (18:1) to pray always and never to lose heart or despair. Instead of giving up, the woman changed her posture from standing to kneeling which is an expression of submission and dependence. Even the negative intervention of the disciples could not stop her.

When our Lord finally decided to answer her, it was not to her benefit as our Lord made it clear that he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (lost sheep indeed). At this point our Lord brought out to the fore, the unjustifiable barrier that had been in existence among the Jews and the non-Jews. He was like reminding her what she seemed to have forgotten the culture and religious barriers. However the woman did not give up. She seemed to be saying in her mind: "you have already crossed the boundaries so nothing should stop you from attending to me!" 

The next thing our Lord did following her defiance was to remind her that it will be unfair to drop the food meant for children to the dogs. The implication of this statement is very apt. Our Lord referred to her as a "dog" and she was ready to answer that name since in her reply, the dogs also have the privilege of eating the crumbs that fall from the master's table. It was at this point that our Lord turned to her and gave her a very rare title: "woman of great faith!" This is the direct opposite of the title Peter got last Sunday "Man of little faith" (Matt 14:31). It is most instructive that the woman, representing the non-Jews and foreigners, had great faith while Peter representing the Jews, the chosen ones, the children of the master had little faith; a great irony indeed.

In God and with God there is no limitation. His justice and Mercy are as infinite as God Himself. At times some people make the mistake of trying to put God into a pigeonhole. Sometimes we attempt to give God restrictions as to whom He should bless and who He should not bless. Sometimes we create unjustifiable barriers along cultural and religious lines. There are indeed some people who have listed out those who will go to heaven and those who will rot in hell. St. Paul was clear on this when he said that in Christ Jesus there is no Jew or Gentile, no slave or free born, no male or female for all are one in the Lord (Gal.3:28).

The truth we must accept is that God is just and merciful (Psalm 103:8) and His justice and mercy are unlimited. However, we must also know that they are MERITED; they are not picked by the roadside. From the First Reading, we discover that these divine facilities can be obtained by those (even foreigners) who come to God just like the Canaanite woman made effort to come to our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence we cannot sit back and receive mercy and justice; we must make sure we activate them by our choices and actions. The Canaanite woman remains our exemplary guide. This woman can be for us an example of persevering faith that is not discouraged by the apparent silence of God in the face of suffering. It is a kind of faith that is not frustrated by the voices of those who think that they have monopoly of access to Jesus. It is a kind of faith that is not extinguished by the insults one receives in his or her quest for Jesus. It is a kind of faith that discourages segregation based on tribe and even on religious affiliation. It is a kind of faith that makes one seek the mercy of God without blocking others from the same mercy, because all people have been made prisoners of disobedience and so all people are candidates of God's mercy. 

It will be inconclusive to end this reflection without turning briefly to one of the divine statements in the First Reading where God said "my house should be a house of prayer". This sets us on the path of reflection on what the house of God has become for many people in our day and age. With the rate of secularism and irreligion around us many have turned the house of God into various things. Some churches by every qualification are small scale businesses; some have actually grown to become large scale Public Liability Companies where people secure shares. Often we discover that prayer itself has become a commodity that people have to pay for before they receive. It is most unfortunate that some have turned the house of God to social club, house of gossip, house of fashion and beauty, call and business centres and a legion of other things. For all these malapropisms, those responsive will receive the Justice of God; no doubt.

As we await God's justice and mercy in various aspects of our lives, let us also be mindful of those around us to whom we owe justice and mercy. More so, let us be mindful of the fact that God does not have barriers and boundaries and we must not set such boundaries against other people whether they are related to us or not. May God's abiding presence remain with us and may we always be inundated by his unfailing justice and mercy. Have a beautiful week.