Sunday, August 16, 2020

THE FAITH THAT OVERCOMES BARRIERS

 Reflection for 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
(Is 56:1, 6-7; Mt 1521-28)

1.0. The God of all

What is it that causes segregation among people? We easily classify people, prejudice against them and justify excluding them from certain privileges or honour. Sometimes such injustice is even gender based.  What ought to bring variety and beauty to life and society now becomes a source of pain and dehumanization. However, our Christian life empowers us to overcome these barriers.

The Prophet Isaiah announced that ‘foreigners’ would join the ‘chosen’ people to become servants of God. People of all nations shall gather in God’s house and offer acceptable burnt offerings and sacrifices; “For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The condition for being acceptable before the Lord is made available to all: to keep justice and do righteousness, to love the name of the Lord and to keep the Sabbath.  According to Isaiah, the ordinances of the Lord are the same for all; they are the gateway to enter His dwelling place.

2.0. Universal Mercy of God

Inviting foreigners to share in the grace of the Chosen race is not to belittle the Jews. St Paul explains in the second reading that his ministry to the Gentiles was equally to attract the Jews to salvation indirectly. It was through the disobedience of the Jews that the reconciliation of the world in Jesus Christ came. “For the gifts and call of God are irrevocable.” That means their acceptance of Salvation will bring more blessings to the world. God's mercy is now readily available to people, both Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles erred by following false gods; the Jews erred by rejecting Jesus. “For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that He may have mercy upon all.”

In the Gospel, Jesus declares this universal mercy of God as He steps forward to break the barrier between the Jews and the Gentiles. Accompanied by His disciples, He entered the Gentile district of Tyre and Sidon. His presence in this territory is already an indication that God’s salvation has come to ‘foreign’ nations, which is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. Jesus becomes the new Standard by which ‘foreigners’ and the ‘chosen people’ can become children of the Most High God.

3.0. Great Faith

As Jesus walked along, a Canaanite woman from that district came out crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by demon.” There were lots of socio-cultural barriers that would have prevented her from approaching Jesus. Notice that she recognized Jesus as the universal Messiah as “Lord,” and as a full time Jew as “Son of David.” To which of these two ‘identities’ of Jesus was her faith directed at?

Jesus ignored her request and continued moving. But she ‘ignored’ Jesus’ silence and continued following! As Jesus dragged her on with silence, the woman’s faith was being tested and purified. When the disciples asked Jesus to send her away, He answered, “I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman’s faith had bypassed the human barrier of cultural identity, so she knelt down in humility and cried out, “Lord, help me.” As if to confirm if she has ‘certitude of faith’ before whom she was kneeling, Jesus said to her, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But the woman would not reduce her faith to human prejudice. So, she replied, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Imagine such a pure and humble faith, not limited by any human barriers! Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at once.

4.0. The Leap of Faith

The prophecy of Isaiah is already fulfilled in Christ Jesus. The barriers that lock us away from each other have been broken as Jesus stepped into the ‘district of foreigners.’ Salvation is nearer to us now (Rm 13:11). Either as believers we fall into disobedience or as unbelievers we follow other gods, the gate of salvation is now opened to all through Jesus Christ. We cannot claim to follow Jesus and still build fences that separate people. The great faith that answers and breaks barriers is one that acknowledges Jesus as Lord of all. And such a believer loves all people as children of God. Is there somebody you are finding it difficult to love or help because of their cultural identity? Do you love your family to the exclusion of other families? Do you feel upset when you hear other languages or see people dress in certain cultural attires? Do you lack respect for people of certain cultural background? Do you respect all genders as having equal dignity? Jesus has stepped into these ‘territories’ and silently drawing us to rise above these limitations so that our faith itself can become answers to our prayers. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday August 16th, 2020.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

Click below for another a recent version of today's Gospel:
 https://nwachinwe.blogspot.com/2020/08/confidence-in-faith.html


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