Homily-
Twentieth Sunday of Year A, Fr. Udoekpo, Michael
God’s Blessing Is Inclusive
v Isa
56:1, 6-7
v Ps
67:2-3, 5-8
v Rom
11:13-15, 29-32
v Matt
15:21-28
God’s
blessing is inclusive. It is a gift sufficient unto Jews, Gentiles, men and women,
eunuchs and non-eunuchs, foreigners and non-foreigners, the poor and the rich. God’s
blessings are sufficient to people of all nations and all walks of life.
These
blessings include life, land, property, good health, families, education, and occupations.
They include the virtues of faith, hope, and love. They include the gifts of patience
and the healing we receive from God when we are sick. These blessings include our
communities—particularly the church and her teachings. They include the gift of
remembering to pray and to be grateful to God. These are all blessings from God
to everyone.
The
subject of the 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, “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples
praise you” (Ps 67:3). The question is: Why would the nations, including Israel,
praise God? They praise him because of all the blessings and gifts they have received
from him throughout history.
In
the wilderness, God was with the Israelites. He accompanied them through their time
in exile. God’s accompaniment of the Israelites through the exile is the background
of today’s first reading (Isa 56). In it, the Israelites have just returned
from the Babylonian exile. It is 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 absent and the
foreign wives the exiles had married and the children they’d raised in exile. They
had limited resources, inefficient leadership, and lack of a place to worship.
Suspicion and hostilities abounded, and injustice, discrimination, and segregation
prevailed.
In
the first reading, Third Isaiah calls for openness, tolerance, and justice. Isaiah
advocates love and universalism in the new community. He says, “Maintain
justice, and do what is right . . . for my house shall be called a house of
prayer for all peoples” (Isa 56:1, 7). Notice that God’s house is a gift from God.
Notice also that Isaiah did not say this gift is “for some people,” but “for all
people”—Jews and Gentiles, the weak and the strong, the sick and the healthy, the
young and the old, males and females, adults and children (kôl-hāmēr šabāth=all
who keep the sabbath-v.6/lәkôl-hā’ammȋm= for all the peoples
(v.7)
Saint
Paul did the same in his own way during his missionary journeys. He was often seen
as a proud champion of universalism in terms of spreading the gospel of Christ to
all nations. Though Jewish by birth, he calls himself an “apostle to the Gentiles.”
He preached tirelessly and reassured the church, particularly in Rome, of God’s
irrevocable mercy and unlimited love to all nations (Rom 11:13-15, 29-32).
Today’s
Gospel reading (Matt 15:21-28) similarly sums up the message of the inclusiveness
of God’s healing love and favor to his people. Though he was Jewish, Jesus loved
the Canaanite woman. Jesus is merciful to the prayerful, humble, sick Canaanite
woman. To start with, the woman in the Gospel is faithful. She is patient. She is
gifted with persistence in prayer. Jesus does not care whether she is from the south
or the east, the north or the west. He does not care whether she is white or black.
All he knows is that she is a faithful child of God. She is a woman of faith “O
woman great is your faith” (v.28). She cherishes her gifts. She is healed. She recognizes
God as the source of prosperity, 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?
There
are problems everywhere today: violence, wars, hostilities, corona-virus, illnesses,
and the loss of our loved ones. In every circumstance of our life, it is important
to recognize that our very being is a gift from God. The church itself is a gift
from God. 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 a house of love and a
temple of divine mercy for all—Jew, Gentile, or Canaanite.
Reflection Questions:
1.
Can you think of any cases of discrimination, racism, tribalism, or exclusivism
in your faith community? What have you done to address them?
2.
Can you relate to the Canaanite woman of today’s Gospel?
3.
Can you relate to the foreigners of today’s first reading? What is your attitude
toward immigrants, migrants, guests, visitors, and people you meet?
