What Great Faith Can Do!

(Homily 20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr-A)

     A closer and profound reflection on the word of God this Sunday reveals that the recurrent themes are that of faith and the universal call to salvation, the kingdom of God is proposed to all, without discrimination. If we have a throwback on last Sunday's Gospel, we see Peter, a man of little faith. Contrarily, at the heart of today's Gospel is a woman of great faith. Peter was an insider, but today we reckon with an outsider. Indeed, experience brings to our consideration that it is often the case that faith is not found where it is expected and many a times, it is found in abundance where it is least expected. No doubt, we can be taken aback at the faith of some and the lack of faith of some others. Many contemporaries of Jesus might have been surprised and even offended seeing the godless foreigners streaming into the house of God. Behold, it is upon such consciousness that Isaiah in the first reading (Is. 56:1.6-7) prophesized about the openness and inclusiveness of God’s temple to all. And in the Gospel, Jesus went against all odds to reach-out to the pagan woman (Mt. 15:21-28). While Paul in the second reading (Rm. 11:13-15.29-32) was surprised and disappointed that his own race, the people of God, rejected the Gospel, while the Gentiles embraced it. Above all else, the readings of this Sunday implicitly warn us of the danger of pre-judging, categorizing, and segregating others. God works in marvelous ways according to His will and timing. But many a times our own attitude is best reflected in the behaviour of the disciples in today's Gospel: the readiness to categorize others, for they wanted Jesus to send her away as quickly as possible. However, contrary to their request, Jesus reached out to the woman. Her supplication of “Kyrie eleison” did not go unanswered, because in and through Jesus, the Father was showing mercy to all mankind as St. Paul envisioned in the second reading.       

     In the first reading (Is. 56:1.6-7) we see an adequate emphasis on the universalistic dimension of salvation, as opposed to the exclusivist mentality of the Jews, according which salvation and the Kingdom of God were reserved privileges for them. But contrarily, God through the words of prophet Isaiah in this passage establishes the universal and in-discriminatory nature of his salvation and Kingdom. God is a God for all and his salvation is boundless. As prophet Isaiah affirmed: “As for foreigners who adhere to Yahweh to serve him, to love Yahweh’s name and become his servants, all who observe the Sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant” (v.6) and in subsequent verse God through the mouth of his prophet declared: “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (v.7). This passage brings us to the context of the Israelites before Christ. Here the distinction is clear, at one end, the Jews, the chosen people, at the other side, all the other peoples. Humanity was divided in Jews and Gentiles. The temptation of the first to close themselves and consider others impure was strong. But however, there was an open door, and that is the fact that “foreigners can adhere to Yahweh to serve him”. In line with the theme of universality of God’s salvation and Kingdom, the Psalmist in the responsorial psalm proclaims the universal dominion of Yahweh on all peoples: “The earth will acknowledge your ways and all nations your power to save” (Ps. 67:2) and he invites all the peoples to recognize the Lord and be united in his praise: “Let the nations praise you, God, let all the nations praise you”.    Still in this passage we can make a second consideration, if we paid attention, we must have noticed that one of the conditions given by God in order to be considered no longer strangers in His house, but pleasing to his sight is the injunction: “all who observe the Sabbath and not profaning it” (v.6c). And we see this injunction emphatically in the third commandment “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”. For us Christians the Sabbath is Sunday. But today the sense and meaning of this prescription is gradually being relegated. For many Sunday has become a day of leisure and fun, if not for profanation and sin, emptied of its religious content. For those who clamour for their liberty to do what they like, the command and prescription of God is not a threat to our freedom.   

     In the Gospel (Mt. 15:21-28) of today Jesus goes outside the territory of Israel, he went to the side of commercial cities like Tyre and Sidon, a pagan territory. And in this location, he meets with a woman of this place, who implored him, shouting even: “have mercy on me Lord, my daughter is tormented by the devil”. In Mathew’s narrative the earthly activity of Jesus remains limited to inhabited regions of Israel. However, the evangelist Mathew expanded Jesus’ sojourn even into Gentile territory, where the incident with the Canaanite woman took place. This episode was equally narrated by mark (7:24-30). On responding to his disciples who asked Him to listen to the woman because she was bothering them, and He answered them: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (v.24), somehow reinstating the perspective of (Mt. 10:5b-6), when he was sending his disciples he told them not to go to pagan territory, nor Samaritan town, but to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. We may ask, why did Jesus issue such a directive? Did Jesus not come to bring salvation to all? God’s program was that salvation was to be announced first to the people of Israel. Even though it was to be preached to them first, it is not to remain or stop there. However, the woman’s great faith moved Him to perform the healing. The attitude of the disciples who asked Jesus to send the woman away is similar to their reaction to the crowds at the occasion of the multiplication of bread (Mt. 14:15), and this is the particularity of Mathew. For our evangelist Mathew this episode looks forward to the faith of the pagans (the Gentiles) and as a matter of fact, this episode is similar to Jesus’ encounter with the centurion (Mt. 8:1-13); whereas for Mark this encounter is an exception to Jesus’ healing ministry. Indeed, the account of Mathew is more detailed and he used occasion of this episode to underline his theological perspective of universal salvation.

     At the center of Gospel narrative is the Cannanite woman, who approached Jesus, pleading for a miracle for the daughter, but what she could get was an apparent indifference from Jesus. However, impressed by her faith, Jesus hearkened to her supplications. Jesus pulled down the walls of hatred and discrimination existing between the Jews and the Gentiles. What matters henceforth is no longer belongingness to a particular race, but faith in Him: “Woman, your faith is great”. What matters is faith, not observance of the law, faith that breaks barriers and renders little dogs guests. Truly, the unusual, incomprehensible attitude and comportment of Jesus is thought provoking, he does not say a word to her. He ignored her, and even the apostles were embarrassed by the shouts of the woman, and they implored Jesus: “Hear her, see how she is shouting following us”. Yet to the apostles Jesus responded with some dints of rejection thus: “I was only sent for the lost sheep of the house of Israel” Invariably, Jesus declares that his mission is first of all to the people of Israel, and afterwards he will go beyond the borders of Israel, and to the whole world. This passage raises some interrogations, for instance: what does Jesus intend when He said: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (v.24). Certainly, it is not the fact that he doesn’t feel sent to all peoples, rather that He will reach all peoples through faith and conversion of the Israel. God was fulfilling his promises made to the descendants of Abraham, so that the promises He was going to make to all the peoples will be credible.

     The woman came closer to Jesus and with insistence, she continued her supplication, she prostrates before Jesus: “My Lord, help me”. Yet Jesus responded once again with rejection: “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (that is bread for the chosen people). The woman all the same does not give up, she is even contented with the pieces of bread that falls from the table, as she responded, “It is true Lord, but also the dogs can eat the piece that fall from the table of the master”. At that moment, Jesus could no longer put any resistance (in fact, I would say he could no longer continue his pretense), he had to give up, and accomplish a miracle in the pagan territory. And he exclaimed: “woman, indeed your faith is great! Let it be done unto you as you desire! And from that moment her daughter was healed”.

      Then, we have to ask ourselves the reason why Jesus delayed in hearkening to the words of the woman, what was behind the unusual indifferent attitude of Jesus? Why was he apparently indifferent to the pleading of the poor woman? May be to affirm categorically his fidelity to the mission for which the Father sent him, which has to do in primis with the chosen people and later to others. May be! St. Augustine in his commentary on this episode affirms that Jesus delayed in granting the woman’s supplications in order to increase in her the desire, in order to make her faith and hope more fervent and profound. This is also possible. St. John Chrysostom, on his part posits that Jesus delayed in order to uplift or “upgrade” the faith of the woman. This hypothesis is equally possible. There is another consideration, that Jesus delayed in reaching out to the woman in order to gradually draw the attention of his disciples to the ways and workings of God and the need for a great faith in God.

     From the existential and practical standpoints, the virtues of this woman are being proposed to us as an example and model, of a fervent and great faith:

• As a wonderful example of faith in Christ, her trust in him never wavered, she never gave up, even when Jesus used denigrating words on her.
• As a stupendous model of perseverance in prayer: she knocks, insists, implores without giving up hope or getting discouraged because of Jesus’ resistance.
• As a great example of humility, she does not rebel because she was ignored and less considered by Jesus, instead she was contented with the pieces like a dog.

We are therefore invited today to admire and imitate the good examples and virtues of this woman: her faith and immense trust in Jesus, her insistent prayer, perseverance and heroic humility. Many a times, we equally experience what could be defined as “the silence of God”, the apparent resistance by God to grant us the graces we hold to be necessary for our good. Sometimes, even, we experience the opposite of what we hope and ask for in prayer. In such situations, our mistake generally is the temptation or tendency to get discouraged, of desisting or even to rebel against God instead of insisting in prayer. The silence of God or the delay in granting our supplications does not mean that He does not listen to our supplications. May be, the Lord wants to test us because he is preparing a greater thing for us. Certainly, he will give us a reward if we persevere in prayer and continue to have trust in him. Let us learn how to say: Lord, I ask you this grace, however let your will be done, help me to do your will. You know too well what is for my good. I trust in you!

     This Gospel passage reminds us of the episode when the disciples reported to Jesus that there are those “who were casting out demons without” but are not his followers, they wanted Him to stop them, but Jesus responded them: “who is not against us, is with us” (Mk.9:38). This is apparently contrary to what He said elsewhere in another circumstance: “who is not with me is against me, and who does not gather with me scatters” (Lk.11:23). In reality, the two responses or sentences can be integrated, if we see it from the perspective that at one He was referring to His disciples and at the other, He was referring to outsiders. We can’t but remember the words of Peter to the first pagan welcomed to the Christian community: “I now really understand, he said, that God has no favourites, but anybody of any nationality who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34-35). It is evident in the episode of the Gospel and in the Pauline epistle that it is no longer belongingness to a race or a nation that gives guarantee for salvation, but faith in Christ, which is implicitly possible for all.

     In the passage of the second reading (Rm. 11:13-15.29-32), the concept of the universal call to salvation, or the will of God for all to be saved, assumed a paradoxical consideration, for God as St. Paul writes “has subjected all to disobedience, in order to show mercy to all” (v. 32). For the Romans prior to the coming of Christ were disobedient (pagans), but after the disobedience of the Jews that did not welcome Christ, the Romans were shown mercy and the kingdom of God was opened to them. And even for the Jews that did not welcome the gift of God, St. Paul expresses an optimism in the hope that they too will be converted, for he says that “the gift and the call of God are irrevocable” (v.15). Unfortunately, one can decide to resist the divine call and invitation. This passage prospects us to a situation that is quite different. Now the election and salvation has passed to the Gentiles. So what is the attitude they should have before the Jews? There should not be any discrimination or racism. The Jews remain the chosen people, their incredulity served providentially for the opening of salvation to all peoples. There should be no boast whatsoever, before them by the new chosen people. Paul leaves a glimmer of hope: the Jews one day will receive mercy. Attention however, for what happened to the Israelites could happen to us.

    In all, therefore, the overriding message emanating from the readings of this Sunday is that there should not be barriers between peoples. No one is a stranger before God. Thus, the readings remind us that we cannot possess God for ourselves, that God can never be the exclusive property of a particular group or set of people. God cannot be conditioned by human ideas, inclinations and prejudices, He is always greater and bigger than our ideas of Him and He cannot in anyway be contained in our often narrow views of Him. God declared: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (Ex. 33:19). Thus, in concrete terms, the word of God today invites us to reflect on the attitude we should have towards those around us who are not Christians. For those of us who tend to be God’s Chief Justice or deputy Jesus, we are invited to imbibe the inclusive attitude of Jesus, and abandon our own exclusive and judgmental attitudes. We are called to show forth in our lives the inclusiveness of God. May God help us to close the barriers of hatred and prejudices in our life. Amen!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)