Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
For today’s Gospel reading click the link below:
Mass Readings
(Isaiah 56:1,6-7, Rom 11:13-15,29-32 Matt 15:21-28)
Homily Reflection by Fr. JJ Fenelon
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The issue of the rights of foreigners or migrants within a nation was always a point of contention even in biblical times and so it is no surprise that it is still the same today. In the world that we live in we find that there are borders around every country which is well guarded. This is to make sure that no foreigners come into our countries illegally.
Yet many people risk their lives in entering a country illegally to escape from poverty & oppression. They look for a land with freedom, prosperity and security so as to provide a better future for their loved ones. If they are caught, they are punished or sent to prison or sent home.
On the other hand, there can be resentment towards foreigners when the local citizens find that their jobs are being taken away from them because employers find it financially more economical to hire foreigners. Either way foreigners are always considered a problem.
St Matthew, though a Jew, was an outsider because he was a tax collector. He was forbidden to go into the temple. He was forbidden to pray close to the Holy of Holies. He was, ostracised because the kind of work he did was to join the Romans in the oppression of the Jews. And the tax collectors were a hated lot.
Women were not allowed full access to the Temple either but they could enter the outer court where the Temple treasury was located. The woman in today’s Gospel was a foreigner. She, like St Matthew, was an outcast. She was someone not welcomed among the Jewish people, similar to the woman at the well. (Jn.4)
The Gospel begins with Jesus leaving Gennesaret to the region of Tyre and Sidon which are situated at the northernmost point of the country. It was a place with no Jews at all but mostly Canaanite people.
The Canaanites were the people who lived there predominantly for many centuries in what we know today as Palestine and Israel.
They were Semites (believed to be descendants of Shem, one of the sons of Noah), as all people in that area were, but they were Semites who believed in all kinds of gods. They were not Semites like the Jews who believed in the one true God, Yahweh.
The Canaanite people were hated by the Jews, and vice versa. When Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho, it was against the Canaanites, who were trying to drive him and the Jewish people into the Jordan.
So the Canaanite woman shouted from a distance and said, “Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.”
Jesus does not answer her. He remains silent. And his disciples even urged him, saying, “Send her away”. But Jesus is still quiet. Eventually when He breaks His silence He says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel”.
She was sincere and wanted so much that Jesus would heal her daughter. She kneels at his feet and says to Jesus, “Lord, help me.”
What is she saying? “I have come this way alone with my poor child and I don’t know where else to go. I tried everything, but nothing seems to be able to heal her. And now I come to you and I beg you, I beg you, Lord, help me.” Jesus replies, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.” No one would have said or expected Jesus of all people to say that. This kind of statement could have evoked anger and turned off anyone.
Historically, the Israelites used to call the Canaanites dogs. We too have names for foreigners and locals alike, some of which maybe derogatory. So instead of saying, “Here comes a Canaanite,” Israelites would say “Here comes a little dog.”
So when Jesus made that statement, was he practicing cultural prejudice because it was common practice? General belief was that Jesus was testing her faith when he spoke those words. But it didn’t matter to the Canaanite woman. She was used to such insults by the Jews and retorts, “Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.” He surrenders. He knows he has come only for the Jews and yet also knows that he has come to a world that is full of pain and sorrow.
Her reply must have brought a smile to the face of Jesus. Her faith in Jesus leads Him to say, “Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.” He helps her and saves her daughter.
In this Gospel story, Jesus is teaching all of us what it means to have faith and how easy it is to reject and dismiss others out of sheer prejudice. We don’t throw people away and shove them aside because they’re not of our own kind, and because they do not share our faith.
By helping her Jesus shows that he has come for all people regardless of their race, colour or religion everywhere.
In the 1st Reading, in anticipation of the return from the Babylonian exile, the prophet Isaiah rejoices in his own salvation and ability to freely worship the Lord at long last, and desires that this joy be shared by all who believe in the Lord. Speaking the word of the Lord, Isaiah says: “The foreigners who attached themselves to the Lord to serve Him and to love His name and be His servants – all who observed the sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain.”
How do we treat foreigners in our employ? In our country? In the current economic situation that we are in due to the pandemic, there is a growing resentment towards foreigners in Singapore. While it is a priority to safeguard Singaporeans’ interest, it should not also be an indiscriminate retrenchment of foreigners who have helped to develop the country for our well-being. This can lead to a very selfish and dangerous situation.
Today’s readings challenge us in the way we treat others. We are told charity begins at home but it should not end there. We should look beyond race, colour and status to bring God’s love and joy to those in need.
In the 1st Reading, Isaiah says: “Practice justice, be fair, honest and generous in our dealings with others – not just those close to us but to everyone, especially the foreigner. In the light of the pandemic, authorities have come to realise that the housing of the foreigners packed like sardines in dormitories is inhumane.
In today’s 2nd Reading, St Paul says that he is hoping that his work for those not of his own race, will prompt his own people to come to their own senses.
If we act with justice towards others, we make room for God in our lives. To make room for God, 2 things are necessary. We must have faith and we must learn to love.
Our Collect (Opening Prayer) begins the Mass with this prayer: “God of all the nations, to Your table all are invited and in Your family no one is a stranger. Satisfy the hunger of those gathered in this house of prayer. Mercifully extend to all the peoples in the world the joy of Your love, the joy of salvation and the joy of the faith that Jesus asks us to share with others. “Go in peace glorifying the Lord by your lives”
Let us pray for this grace. Amen!