Homily
(2) 20th Sunday of Year A: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo
Readings:
Isaiah 56:1.6-7; Ps 67:2-3, 5-8; Rom 11:13-15, 29-32 and Matthew 15:21-28
These
blessings include the gift of life, land and property; the gift of good health,
the gift of our families, education and occupations. The virtues: faith, hope
and love. The gift of patience and the healings we received from God whenever
we are sick. The gifts of our communities particularly the Church and her
teachings. The gifts to remember to pray and to be grateful to God! These are
all blessings from God to everyone.
This subject of inclusiveness of God’s blessings is at the center of today’s Bible lessons. Psalm
67, for instance, pointedly presents us with a praying community that petitions God, “O God let all
the nations praise you! (Psalm 67:4). The question is why would the nations,
including Israel praise God? Because of all the blessings and gifts they have
always received from God, throughout their history.
In
the wilderness God was with Israel. He accompanied them through their experiences in exiles. The
situation of today’s first reading, from Isaiah 56, is post-exilic (after- the exile),
when Israel have just returned from the Babylonian exile. It was a time of high
expectations and immense difficulties. There was tension between the returnees
(gôlah) and the people of the land, including foreigners who had been living in
the area when they were absence, and the foreign wives and children married and
raised in exiles. They were limited
resources, inefficient leadership, place and space of worship, small and
perhaps under construction mutual suspicions and hostilities everywhere,
injustices and element of discrimination and segregation prevailed.
St.
Paul did the same in his own way, during his missionary journeys. He was often seen as a proud champion universalism in terms of spreading the Gospel of Christ
to all nations, the Gentiles. Though Jewish by birth, he calls himself, an “apostle of
the Gentile.” He preached tirelessly everywhere, and reassured the Church, particularly in Rome the
irrevocable mercy and unlimited love of God to all nations (Rom 11:13-15, 29-32).
Furthermore, today’s
Gospel episode (Matt 15:21-28) sums up these messages of inclusiveness of God’s healing love
and favor to his people. Though Jewish, as well, Jesus loves the Canaanite woman. Jesus
is merciful to the prayerful and humble sick Canaanite woman. To start with, the woman in the Gospel is so
faithful. She is patient. She is gifted with persistence in prayer. Jesus does not care whether
she is from south or east, north or west, white or black. All that he knows is
that she is a faithful child of God! She cherishes her gifts. She is healed. She recognizes God as the
source of prosperity and the giver of all gifts, and the healer of healers! Any of us could be this woman. Do we pray consistently? Do we cherish our faith and gifts? Are we patient enough? Are we open to one another, and to the flow of the Holy Spirit?
We
know there are problems everywhere today; violent and challenges of life, wars
and threat of wars, illnesses and threats of illnesses- and even the loss of
our loved ones. In every circumstances of our life it is important to recognize
that our very being is a gift from God, including the gift of the Church. We are called to
be tolerant, receptive, loving, merciful and welcoming to one another. Our
Church is a house of prayer. It is a
house of faith, a symbol of oneness, justice, humility and gratitude to God. It
is house of love and temple of divine mercy for all, Jew or Gentile or
Canaanite!
