Homily for the Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time

August 20, 2023
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas

Isaiah 56:1,6-7
Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Matthew 15:21-28

In our second reading from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, he tells the Gentiles, to whom he has been sent for their salvation, that he boasts about them to inspire his fellow Jews to listen to the Gospel with the same ears of faith that it might take root in their lives with the fulfillment of their identity as God’s chosen people as the Gospel has begun to blossom in the lives of the Gentiles.  He mentions that the Gentiles were once strangers to God, but now God has bestowed His grace on the Gentiles just as Isaiah had prophesied. In so doing, Saint Paul reminds the Gentiles of his time and us today, that God’s gifts are irrevocable so we should not settle for anything less than what God offers us completely in Christ through our Baptism, Confirmation and ongoing sacramental life centered on the Eucharist that is not simply formulaic ritual. Not only are these gifts irrevocable, but they are also intended for everybody and not simply for an elite group of the perfect.

One could read the Gospel today as the example for what Saint Paul is saying in his letter. Jesus’ interaction with the Canaanite woman could be a way to teach Jesus’ disciples that God’s love is offered to each and every person, that the Father has sent His Son to complete the universal mission of salvation. However, we get the impression that Jesus does not want to have anything to do with this Gentile woman; she is outside His sphere of interest and concern. However, not just her persistence but also her cleverness attracts His attention; Jesus sees in her perseverance the marks of true faith. We might notice that her perseverance is not for herself but for her daughter. Our faith is meant to strengthen others, and our prayers should not be primarily about what we want for ourselves.

The faith of the Canaanite woman seems to have several components. First, she recognizes Jesus as the Son of David, the Messiah, and she refuses to believe that salvation is only for a few. Secondly, she knows that she has need of the power and grace that Jesus brings and will not stop asking for it even when things look desperate and impossible. She recognizes her own powerlessness in her crisis, and that powerlessness is met with fortitude and hope that Jesus does have the power. Finally, she understands that each of us has a responsibility to care for one another, and that we cannot fulfill the gift of our humanity unless we embrace this responsibility. It is her faith that prompts Jesus to heal her daughter.

In today’s Gospel, it seems that Jesus’ disciples have a problem recognizing this universal mission of Jesus as the Messiah for all people as they counsel Him to send the Canaanite woman away. Yet, she perseveres and grows in faith and her realization of Jesus’ full identity as not only the Messiah but also as the Son of God who is worthy of worship.

The Canaanite woman, a Gentile, begins her conversation with Jesus by simply asking Him to give her what she wants. She initially recognizes in Him only as someone who is useful to getting what she wants – the important and urgent need of the recovery of her daughter. She desperately wants Him to give her what she wants.

Jesus first responds to her in silence because He is not satisfied with her settling to see Him only as someone who is useful; the disciples tell Jesus to get rid of her; she is referred to as a dog – that is like the family pet that begs and comes to the table out of appetite – seeking only a treat and not love.  Jesus wishes to offer her love and she grows in that realization by persevering in the conversation with Jesus, so she does not settle for simple utility.

After each point in the ongoing conversation with Jesus, she decides to persevere and to respond to His invitation and not set her sights too low by simply wanting Jesus to give her a treat. Frequently, our assessment of our own needs on our own terms is in fact simply our preferences of convenience. Sometimes all we want from Jesus is for Him to give us a treat. We can even see our participation in the Eucharist as simply an opportunity to “go to Communion” as if the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ were simply a treat or “scraps that fall from the table” to which I am entitled to have on my own terms assessed without relationship and responsibility to love God and neighbor as Christ has shown us to do.

At times, we are too short-sighted in that we assess our needs through the scope of this world and ignore that our Baptism and the corresponding relationship initiated by Christ with us and among us, is a relationship that has destined us for eternal glory and that does not simply begin after death. When we do this, we only see Christ as useful but not as our Savior or even our friend. Like the disciples in today’s Gospel, we can benefit from the witness of the Canaanite woman. Rather than seeking only a temporary cure thereby relegating her daughter to a world of survival in poverty, sickness, and death, the Canaanite woman through her growing faith in Jesus gains for her daughter both lasting healing and eternal life offered by Christ who cares for them and who is as loving as He is powerful.

This week, I ask you to join me in spending time each day in conversation with Jesus, just as the Canaanite woman did. Ask Jesus for the willingness on our part to embrace our Catholic identity initiated by Him in His gift of the Holy Spirit to us in Baptism, and not to define ourselves as Catholics simply by external and cultural differences from people of other faiths or even such differences among Catholics of other cultures or languages. Ask Jesus for the grace to receive the Eucharist as a gift with gratitude and becoming more intentional that this gift requires a responsibility of charity and service to others on our part – just as the Canaanite woman sought healing for her daughter. Finally, ask Jesus for the willingness on our part not to settle for scraps like treats that fall from the table but to be prepared spiritually and morally to be seated with others at the table He has prepared for us on His terms here at this altar and at His eternal banquet table in heaven.