The love and mercy of God is sure

Ish 53:1.6-7, Rom. 11:13-15.29-32, Mt 15:21-28. On this Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, the Church invites us to reflect on the universal offer of mercy and love of God. The proof of the mercy and love of God is seen in Jesus who came among us so that we could have life. In the first reading we find: even the foreigner being accepted, a non-genetic incorporation: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” In the second reading, Paul presents himself to the Romans as Apostle of the Gentiles. It is against this background awareness that today’s Gospel stands out as a crumbling of barriers between Jews and Gentiles. We observe a very tender “haggling” between Jesus, a Jew and the non-Jewish Gentile woman in an almost typical middle-Easterner haggling.

The woman was arguing from her heart, not from theological principles and her heart reveals a faith and trust that could not be articulated at a theological level. Jesus gets her message and tells her: "you have great faith." The scene and its outcome are reminiscent of the exchange between Jesus and Mary at the Cana wedding, where Jesus states my hour has not yet come and yet Mary’s heart wins the day. The challenge before us is in two: need to come to an even deeper understanding and appreciation of the faith handed down through the Scriptures. We do need to realise more fully the universality of God’s unconditional love. As a Christian, we can never forget, or fail to learn from, the Hebrew Scriptures and Judaic traditions. Our teachings, worship and lifestyle are touched and endowed with Judaic understanding. We need to study and reflect on, our Hebrew origins. We will come to a better understanding of Jesus and His Abba-Father, who happen to be God, if we know and appreciate our Jewish heritage. This should lead to a more caring and positive respect for those who are of the Jewish faith and who call upon the same God that we call upon.

May the love of God continue to grow in our understanding of the all-encompassing love of God, who has saved and redeemed us through the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus! Stay safe and save life, Jesus loves you, happy Sunday!!!