20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A
THE LOVE THAT EMBRACES ALL
MT. 15: 21-28
MESSAGE:
It is shocking to read about the disciples’ harsh attitude towards the Canaanite woman: “Send her away!” And it is even more shocking to hear Jesus seemingly partial only to the Israelites and refer to this woman foreigner as a “dog.” But in the end, it was clear that Jesus did not really share the attitude of his disciples for he was merely testing the faith of the woman, whose daughter was in great need of healing and deliverance: “O woman, great is your faith!” While it is true that the Lord Jesus, Son of God, entered human history through his insertion into the nation of Israel, he was in fact, the Father’s gift to the entire world, to all humanity and to the whole created reality. Israel was the apple of God’s eye, but only as the intended servant and instrument for the unity of all peoples under the banner of divine fatherhood. Thus, in Jesus we learn of God who is father to all nations, father of sinners and saints, father especially of those without anywhere and anyone to turn to, father of the poor and the prodigal. While the world today speaks of “inclusion,” the desire to secure equality of social standing for people of different races, cultures, religions, genders and ideologies, God has predated all these trends with his call, not for mere inclusion, but for “belonging.” All of us belong to God and are loved by him in our strengths and weakness, in our perfections and flaws, in our richness and poverty. The church is the new Israel, the People of God that proclaims to all that they too, belong to God’s embrace, to his family, to the new creation which is his vision for the future of the world. Surely, some people cannot accept this message and will cling to their own version of social bliss. Belonging to God will demand faith, obedience, and conversion to his divine will. May we do our best in making the church a place where people find that they belong to God in the spirit of faith, hope and love.
REFLECT:
The love of God impels us to love others as our brothers and sisters, as people who “belong” to us, for we share the same Father in heaven, the same Lord Jesus Christ and the same Spirit who forms us into one. Let us not be afraid to respect and welcome those who are different from us, while trying our best to share with them the deeper call to open their hearts to the constant challenge of conversion to God’s holy will. As church we do not proclaim mere inclusion, but real belonging to God and each other. ourparishpriest 2023
