August 17, 2014

20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

Isaiah 56: 1, 6-7; Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15: 21-28
I belong…what an interesting way to start a reflection. What do I belong to: the Roman Catholic Church, the Catholic Priesthood, and the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia? I am a member of the Knights of Columbus, I belong to a small faith group. I could open my wallet and see all the different credit cards I have and ‘discount’ cards for various businesses. I have a special group of priest friends. I feel comfortable in belonging to these ‘groups’. Now when I say that I ‘belong’ the implication is present that there are others who ‘do not belong’. This poses no problem or difficulties for me, almost all of the time. But when someone who doesn’t belong infringes on ‘my group’ I could easily become ‘possessive’ and in some way let that person know that they are not in the group, and perhaps ‘not welcomed’ into the group. I could be very selfish in this and it could show my insecurities. I could also become more aware of my prejudices with these ‘others’ and make remarks and not be open to being ‘a responsive, caring Christian to them. My natural response to all of this, could be ‘I do not have a prejudice bone in my body.’ But I do, I have loads of them. Am I ‘working’ on being a Christian who accepts all people as equal and loved by God and helping each one and myself to get closer to God’s love and heaven? I really never think about this, but the readings today are focusing their attention on this ‘gap’ in my Christian growth.
The opening line in Isaiah today is a good summary of many of his prophecies: he is calling on the people to concentrate their living on doing what is right and just. This sounds very ‘nice’ and ‘easy’ to do but Isaiah adds a very surprising addition: God calls ALL nations and ALL peoples; ALL have been called to heaven. AND we, the ‘IN GROUP’ whether it be the Israelites returning from captivity, or the Jewish nation of the time of Jesus, or the followers of Jesus, or Christians, or Catholics are called to serve as beacons of light to show the way for the rest of the world. Isaiah is saying that ALL ‘foreigners’ will be included (Gentiles…Romans…all)…if they love the name of the Lord, they along with Israel, will be regarded as servants of the Lord. This still may seem to be ‘no problem’ for most people but what happened after Isaiah gave this prophecy? There was no prophet after Isaiah who shared this vision of what ‘we’ have to do: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Isaiah was preparing the way for all to listen to the call of Jesus to all people.
Fr. Charles Miller a scholar and noted homilist states in Sunday Preaching, “This universalism was a hard lesson for the Jews to learn. That is why at the time of Jesus and even afterwards there was a bitter dispute about the place of the Gentiles. The Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel was not Jewish; she was a Gentile. Jesus’ disciples wanted Him to have nothing to do with her, to send her away. When the woman persisted in asking Jesus to heal her daughter, Jesus said, ‘It is not right to take the food of the sons and daughters and throw it to the dogs.” How could Jesus say such a harsh and mean thing? Actually His words are an echo of the Jewish leaders who wanted nothing to do with Gentiles and looked upon them as dogs. St. Matthew who wrote this Gospel story hoped that those hearing these harsh, cruel words on the lips of Jesus would shock his readers into realizing how improper it was to reject the Gentiles. The woman by her faith won the favor of Jesus.
A note: the woman is a Canaanite, which means that she is a gentile. She desperately wants Jesus to heal her sick daughter. She is powered by her faith to risk insult, to be bold and be heard. And Jesus heard and responded. The lesson is a lesson about the power of faith…how powerful is my faith?

Fr. Miller continues, “Today we do not think that people have to become Jewish in order to become Catholics. But maybe we practice other forms of exclusiveness. In some instances roles have become reversed; the anti-Semitism of today has replaced the ‘anti-Gentilism’ of the first Christian century. Racism is a serious problem in our society. Hatred for immigrants, many of whom are fellow Catholics, has given meaning to that strange word, ‘xenophobia.’

The word we should concentrate on is ‘Catholic.’ It reminds us that ours is a universal, world-wide Church, which embraces everyone. Every Catholic Church is a house of prayer for all peoples. Here the Lord offers to all of us, not the scraps from the table, but the precious Body and Blood of the Lord. The Lord who comes to us in Holy Communion is the Lord of all. To be faithful to Him is to accept all peoples without exception.”
So how do I apply these readings to myself? I have to sit back and see where I am in God’s eternal plan and how I am living as Jesus taught. This is not easy because with the advancements of our culture and society and all of the ‘toys’ that occupy my life, it is often more difficult to believe in a personal loving God. I want ‘things now’…I want God to answer me ‘now’…I want to live my busy life and have time for God when ‘I want to have time’ or when I can afford to break away from my busyness and give God time.’ It’s easy to feel that I am ‘entitled’ because of where I am and what I have done. Yet at the same time I can so easily feel lost and disconnected from this God who is crazy in love with me. I want to be loved by God but I shortchange myself by placing earthly loves above my love for God. The woman today is a model for ‘tough faith.’ Sometimes I hear that it is easy for me to have faith because I am a priest, but faith doesn’t always make things easy. In fact the opposite is more likely the case. But I have to have the ‘faith to not give up’. I have to live and be convinced that faith impels me to persevere, to continue this earthly living with no guarantees of what will happen…and it is so often not happy, but with pain and suffering. Faith calls for humility, which isn’t easy, with courage and with love. And I always say, ‘Lord help me to believe in Your love for me.
So I reflect on:

• From Matthew a Devotional Commentary, “’is there any hope for me a sinner? Is there any hope form my son’s incurable disease? For my sister who has fallen away from the church? For my co-worker who has never been baptized and did not have a religious upbringing? For everyone who has been traumatized by abuse and neglect?’ The answer is found in scripture over and over again: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” No one is excluded.” Am I living this?
  
• How often do I find myself judging the faith of others, to determine how worthy they are of heaven?
  
• Do I measure others on my faith? What does Jesus’ death on the cross ask of me?
  
• Do I believe without a doubt that I have been saved by Jesus’ death on the cross?
  
• Sacred Space 2014 asks me, “I realize that my prayer often falters when I see no answer. Do I sometimes give up easily, not giving the energy, time, or attention that demonstrates my sincerity?”