20th Sunday –A: Crossing Borders
Summary:
1.
Crossing
Barriers/Borders
2.
Refusing to Be Put
Off – Be persistent
3.
Going in Faith and
Humility – Expanding boundaries
Anecdote
1: “Are you waiting to speak
to one of us?” Here
are a couple
of stories about Dorothy Day, the
founder of the
Catholic Worker Movement,
demonstrating how she
valued each
human being as a child of God and hence
as important. A reporter
came to interview
her at her
office on 4th
Street
in Manhattan. He
could see
her talking to a man who was either
drunk or mentally ill. Time
passed and the
reporter
grew impatient.
Dorothy finally appeared
and said, “Are you waiting to speak
to one of us?” Obviously, Dorothy
did not think that she was more
important than the person
she was talking with.
On another
occasion a woman came in and donated
a diamond ring to the Catholic Worker.
Her co-workers
wondered
what Dorothy would do with it. If she
asked one
of them to take
it to a diamond merchant and sell
it, it would buy a month’s worth of groceries and other
items for a poor family. That afternoon,
however,
Dorothy gave the
diamond ring to an old woman who lived
alone and often
came to Dorothy for meals.
“That ring would have paid her
rent for the
better
part of a year,” someone
protested.
Dorothy replied
that the woman had her
dignity. So she could sell
it if she liked
and spend the
money for rent,
a trip to the Bahamas,
or keep
the ring to admire.
“Do you suppose,” Dorothy asked,
“God created
diamonds only for the rich?”
Dorothy Day was
one of the
prophets of her
day. Her vision allowed
her to see
all human beings as equal
– no one distinguishable
from another. She
recognized,
as Mother Teresa
did, the mark of the
children of God in everyone
in the same
way Jesus recognized
God’s child in the Canaanite
woman, who belonged
to a race inimical to the
Jews.
Anecdote
2: “If Christians have caste
differences…”
M. K. Gandhi in his autobiography tells
how, during his days in South Africa
as a young Indian lawyer he
read the
Gospels and saw in the
teachings of Jesus
the answer
to the major problem
facing the people
of India,
the caste
system. Seriously
considering embracing
the Christian faith, Gandhi went
to a white-only church one
Sunday morning intending to talk to
the minister
about the idea.
When he
entered
the church, however,
the usher
refused
to give him a seat
and told him to go and worship with his own people.
Gandhi left the
church and never
returned.
“If Christians have caste
differences
also,” he said, “I might as well
remain a Hindu.”
Introduction
All three
readings today speak
of the expansive
and universal nature
of the “kingdom of God,” in
contrast with the protocol of the
day which demanded
that salvation should come first to
the Jews
and then to all the
people
of the earth.
Although God set the
Hebrew
people
apart as His chosen race,
He included
all nations in His plan for salvation and blessed
all families of the
earth in Abraham (Gen
12:1-3). By declaring through the
prophet Isaiah (the
first reading) “My house
shall be called
a house of prayer
for all peoples,”
God reveals
the truth that in His eyes
there
is no distinction among human beings
on the basis of race,
caste or color. The
long-expected
messianic kingdom was intended
not only for the Jews
but for all nations as well. In other
words, we all belong
to one another
and hence
there
is no place for discrimination among
God’s children. Today’s psalm rejects
all types of religious
exclusivity: "Let
all the peoples
praise you, O God; let
all the peoples
praise you. For you judge
the peoples
with equity and guide
the nations upon the
earth, so that your saving power
may be known among all the
nations." In the second
reading, Paul admits that although the
Jews were
the chosen
people,
most of them denied
the promised
Messiah and consequently,
God turned to the
Gentiles
who received
mercy through their
faith in Jesus. In the
gospel story, Jesus
demonstrates
that salvation was meant for the
Gentiles
as well as for the
Jews by healing
the daughter
of a Gentile
woman as a reward for her
strong faith. Thus He shows that
God's mercy and love
are available
to all who call out to Him in faith.
Exegesis:
The
significance of the
miracle: The
gospels describe
only two miraculous healings Jesus
performed
for Gentiles:
the healing
of the daughter
of the Canaanite
woman and the healing
of the centurion’s
servant (Mt. 8: 10-12). The
encounter
with the Canaanite
woman was the only occasion on which
Jesus was ever
outside of Jewish
territory. These
miracles were
performed
in Tyre
and Sidon, two coastal cities,
twenty-five
and fifty miles north of Galilee
in present-day
Lebanon.
The miracles
foreshadow the
expansion of the
gospel to the
whole world. The
woman in the first miracle
belonged
to the old Canaanite
stock of the Syro-Phoenician
race. The
Canaanites were
the ancestral
enemies
of the Jews
and were
regarded
as pagans and idolaters – ritually
unclean. But this woman showed
“a gallant and an audacious love
which grew until it worshipped
at the feet
of the divine,
an indomitable persistence
springing from an unconquerable
hope, a cheerfulness
which would not be dismayed.”
Trustful
persistence
rewarded.
Jesus first ignores
both the persistent
cry of the woman and the
impatience
of his disciples to send
the woman away. He
then tries
to awaken true
faith in the heart
of this woman by an indirect refusal,
telling her,
“I was sent only to the
lost sheep
of the house
of Israel."
But the woman is persistent
in her request.
She kneels
before
him and begs, "Lord, help
me." Now Jesus
makes a seemingly
harsh statement,
"It is not fair to take the
children's food and throw it to the
dogs." The term
"dogs" was a derogatory Jewish
word for the Gentiles.
Dogs were
regarded
by the Jews
as unclean, because
they would eat
anything given to them,
including pork. The woman noticed,
however,
that Jesus had used
the word kunariois--the
word for household pets
– rather than the
ordinary Greek
word for dogs - kuon. She
also observed
that Jesus had used
the word for dogs in a joking way –
a sort of test of the
woman's faith. So she immediately
matched wits with Jesus.
Her argument
runs like this: Pets
are not outsiders
but insiders. They
not only belong to the
family, but are part of the
family. While they
do not have a seat
at the table,
they enjoy
intimacy at the family's feet.
Hence
the woman replied:
"Yes, Lord, yet
even
the dogs eat
the crumbs that fall from their
master's table"
(v. 27), expressing
her faith that Jesus
could and would heal her
daughter. Jesus
was completely
won over by the
depth of her
faith, her confidence
and her wit and hence
responded
exuberantly,
"Woman,
great is your faith! Let
it be done
for you as you wish." We
notice that the
woman was refused
three
times by Jesus
before
he granted
her request
and finally, the fourth time,
her persistence
was rewarded
and her plea
was answered.
Messages:
1) We
need
to persist in prayer
with trustful confidence.
Although the essential
parts of prayer are
adoration and thanksgiving, the prayer
of petition plays a big part in most
people’s
daily life. We
have so many spiritual and temporal
needs,
which we cannot provide
for by ourselves.
Christ himself has told us to ask
him for these
needs:
"Ask and you shall receive."
Asking with fervor and perseverance
proves that we
have the
"great faith” we
need
to receive
what Christ wants to grant us in response
to our requests.
We must realize
and remember
that we do not always get
exactly what we
ask for, but rather what God knows we
need,
what He wants for us and what is really
best for us. What we
need
most are the
peace
and security that come
from being in harmony with God's
will for us. As Christians, we also
know that our particular request
may not always be for our good, or
for the final good of the
person for whom we
are praying. In that case,
the good God will not grant what
would be to our, or their,
eternal
harm. But if the prayer
is sincere
and persevering
we will always get
an answer-- one
which is better
than what we asked
for.
2) We
need
to pull down the walls of separation
and share in the
universality of God’s love:
Very often
we set
up walls which separate
us from God and from one another.
Today's Gospel reminds
us that God's love and mercy
are extended
to all who call on him in faith and trust, no matter
who they are.
In other words, God’s care
extends
beyond the
boundaries of race
and nation to the hearts
of all who live, and God’s house
should become
a house of prayer
for all peoples.
It is therefore
fitting that we should pray that the
walls which our pride, intolerance
and prejudice
raise, should crumble.
Next, we
have to be
grateful to God for all the
blessings we
enjoy. As baptized
members
of the Christian community we
have been
given special
privileges
and easy access
to God's love. But we
also have serious
responsibilities
arising from these
gifts. One of these
responsibilities
is to make clear
to others, with true
humility and compassion, that God's love,
mercy and healing
are for them
also because
they too are
the children
of God.
Anecdote
3: on persistence:
Many years ago in Illinois,
a young man with six months schooling to his credit
ran for an office in the
legislature.
As might have been
expected
he was beaten.
Next he
entered
business but failed
in that too, and spent the
next seventeen
years paying the
debts of his worthless
partner. He
fell in love
with a charming lady and became
engaged
– and she died.
He had a nervous
breakdown. He
ran for congress and was defeated.
He then
tried to obtain an appointment
to the U.S.
land office, but didn’t succeed.
He became
a candidate for the
Vice-Presidency
and lost. Two years later
he was defeated
in a race for the
senate.
He ran for President
and finally was elected.
That man was Abraham Lincoln. It
took Winston Churchill three
years to get
through the eighth
grade, because
he couldn’t pass English!
Ironically, he was asked
many years later
to give the
commencement
address at Oxford
University.
His now famous speech
consisted of only three
words: “Never
give up!” Today’s gospel
episode
gives us the
same message
in a more powerful
way.
Anecdote
4: Universal fraternity:
There
is a story about a man named Jeremy
Cohen, a Texan
who, with his family, became
host to a rabbi from Moscow one
Christmas. To treat the
rabbi to a culinary experience
unavailable to him in his own
country, Cohen took him to his
favorite Chinese
restaurant. After
an enjoyable
meal and pleasant
conversation, the
waiter brought the
check and presented
each person
at the table
with a small brass Christmas ornament
as a complimentary gift. Everyone
laughed when
Cohen's father
turned the
ornament over
and read the
label “Made
in India.” The laughter
quickly subsided, however,
when everyone
saw tears running down the
rabbi’s cheeks.
Cohen asked
the rabbi if he
were
offended
at having been
given a gift on a Christian holiday.
Smiling, the rabbi shook his head
and answered,
“No, I was shedding tears
of joy to be in such a wonderful
country in which a Chinese
Buddhist restaurant owner
gives a Russian Jew
a Christmas gift made by a Hindu in India.”
She Came To Jesus
She came to Jesus from outside the fold--
Canaanite woman! Persistent and bold!
Looking to Jesus, she wanted to see
One who would help her and set her child free.
Claiming a blessing, a touch of God's grace,
She knew God's love was not bounded by place.
Jesus, you listened, debated-- then healed--
For in her asking, her faith was revealed.
God, you still bless those who seek you in prayer.
You welcome dreamers who faithfully dare.
In Christ, now risen, your mercy extends:
Those on the outside are welcomed as friends.
A Strong
Woman
A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape,
But
a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.
A strong woman isn't afraid of anything,
But
a woman of strength shows her courage in the midst of fear.
A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her,
But
a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.
A strong woman walks sure-footedly,
But
a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.
A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face,
But
a woman of strength wears grace.
A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey,
But
a woman of strength has faith that in the journey she will become strong.
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Rabindranath Tagore (From Gitanjali) – Indian Poet
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge
is free;
Where the world
has not been broken up into fragments by
domestic walls;
Where words come
out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless
striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--
Into that heaven
of freedom, my father, let my country awake.