News & Events
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Posted in News
16th August 2026
Gospel: Matthew 15, 21 – 28
Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region
of Tyre and Sidon, then out came a Canaanite woman from that district
and started shouting, Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter
is tormented by a devil” But he answered her not a word. And his
disciples went and pleaded with him “Give her what she wants, they
said’ because she is shouting after us. He said in reply. ‘I was sent
only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel’ But the woman had come
up and was kneeling at his feet. “Lord’, she said, Help me. He
replied, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to
the house-dogs’ She retorted ‘Ah yes Sir, but even the house-dogs eat
the scraps that fall from their master’s table. Then Jesus answered
her, Woman you have great faith. Lert your wish be granted. And from
that moment her daughter was well again
______________________________
Homily
As a missionary, one of the problems that the social structure of the
present age often creates, is the belief that God loves some people
more than others. When we compare the very rich with those in refugee
camps, those who do not receive a living wage for their work, against
the exorbitant salaries of directors and managers, when we compare
those who do not have enough to obtain health insurance, the question
persists. “Does God truly love me? Unfortunately, the reading and
teaching of the book of Job is one of the best kept secrets of
biblical scholarship. And the Deuteronomic code which to a large
extent deals with our relationships with the orphan and widow is
seldom applied to everyday life. It is important to
remind ourselves here that this Gospel passage is from the Gospel of
Matthew. This is important because Matthew was a task collector before
he became a disciple. As a tax collector he was hated by the Jews. He
could not enter the temple, he could not approach the Holy of Holies,
He did not live the Deuteronomic code. All of this because he aided
the Romans in the oppression of the Jews. With his conversion to being
a disciple of Jesus however his attitude changed and he began to see
Jesus differently. This is seen most clearly in Chapter 25 of his
Gospel where he has Jesus saying, “If you did good to one of these
suffering souls you did it to me. It is important to mention that in
this passage Jesus does not qualify the suffering persons by race or
religion. It is any suffering person.
The Gospel passage given to us for our meditation this weekend, deals
with the issue of a Canaanite woman who is suffering because her
daughter is possessed by a demon.
As this story unfolds, we are told that Jesus went away to the
district of Tyree and Sidon. Tyree and Sidon are the northernmost
point of the boundaries of Palestine in those days. And Jesus goes up
there. It’s a place, though, with no Jews at all. It is inhabited
mostly by Canaanite people. The Canaanites, as you know, were the
people who were the predominant people for many centuries in what we
now call Palestine and Israel. They were Semites, as all peoples in
that area were, but they were Semites who believed in all kinds of
gods. They were not Semites who believed, as Jews came to believe, in
the one true God. Jews were the children of Abraham, but the Semites
were not.
The Canaanite people were hated by the Jews, and the Canaanites hated
the Jews in return. When Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho, it was
against the Canaanites, who were trying to drive him and the Jewish
people into the Jordan. So the first thing we have to admit is that
the culture of the Jews called them to hate the Canaanite people, and
the Canaanites returned the favor.
In this story Jesus went up to the district of Tyre and Sidon. We can
ask why did Jesus go up there? The answer may be that Jesus was
looking for a rest and probably thought that Tyree and Sidon as the
northernmost point of the boundaries of Palestine in those days, there
would be few Jews, and since he was sent to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel, he would probably have time to rest and pray. So,
Jesus goes up there. It’ s a place with no Jews at all. It is mostly
Canaanite people. As said before the Canaanite people were hated by
the Jews. Tyree and Sidon are the northernmost point of the boundaries
of those days of Palestine. And Jesus goes up there.
Now the Canaanites, as you know, were the people who were the
predominant people for many centuries in what we now call Palestine
and Israel. They were Semites, as all peoples in that area were, but
they were Semites who believed in all kinds of gods. They were not
Semites who believed, as Jews came to believe, in the one true God.
And so, the first thing you have to understand is that this lady is
also an outcast. She was someone not welcome among the Jewish people,
something like the lady at the well. It is interesting to note however
that the disciples themselves, even though at that moment the woman is
a nuisance, urge Jesus to attend to her. They tell him, “Give her what
she wants” because she is shouting after them.
The woman begins by calling Jesus, son of David, take pity on me, my
daughter is tormented by a devil” but the use of Jewish cultural
motivations does not work Jesus does not answer her. The question is
very simple; Is Jesus being held prisoner to his cultural motivations?
But his disciples plead with him because she is becoming a nuisance.
Give her what she wants, they plead with him. She is shouting after
us!! Lord helps me, she insisted, He answers by telling her she is
less than a dog. “It is not fair to take the children’s food to give
to the dogs, but the woman replies, yes, sir but even the dogs eat the
scrapes that fall form the master’s table. The woman, in fact tells
Jesus, “I am not asking for much” Jesus is surprised “I have not found
such faith in my abilities, even in Israel.” That faith allows him to
cure the woman’s daughter.
That miracle was produced because of three religious elements, The
first is love. It was love that forced that mother to go to Jesus, the
religious enemy seeking help for her daughter.
The second is faith. Now faith doesn’t only mean that she believes
that Jesus would heal her daughter. Faith also means in this
situation, even though you are from a people who are our enemies, “I
give my life into your hands. Do what you want but heal my daughter.
And I believe in you and I know you can do this.”
And, of course, the third element is courage. Because she loved her daughter,
she was willing to take the scorn of a member of a people who were
enemies of her group so that her daughter could be healed.
My dear sisters and brothers, as short as this Gospel reading is it
teaches us various lessons. The first is this, “Do we really know
what love means? And who are the people around you who demonstrate
true love? Unfortunately, we have equated true love with sex very
often. True love often means putting ourselves in danger for the
welfare of others. It means forgetting oneself and seeking the
well-being of others. One of the best friends that I ever had, during
the Covid pandemic died because a doctor told him that his brother had
to be taken to the hospital immediately. No ambulance was available,
so he took his brother to the hospital himself. The brother was saved,
and my friend died. The Canaanite woman was willing to take the
sarcasm of a member of a people who were enemies to obtain the healing
of her daughter. This is what Jesus did when he accepted the cross.
Faith my dear sisters and brothers, calls us to believe in the
goodness of others and while, faith in others must be carefully
established, A look at the lives of martyrs, like those of Kenya and
Corea, show us people who hold on to their belief and their teaching
in spite of opposition and the threat of great suffering. We must make
our homes and schools places where fidelity to one’s word is in fact
taught and encouraged.
The third element which must be developed is Courage. What is Courage?
Courage is the ability to do what appears to be impossible, or
dangerous. It is best described as the willingness to make and execute
a decision that is inherently dangerous. The Canaanite woman faced
with the problem of her daughter convinced a man who could have done
her harm to break all the tribal rules to help her. Courage, my dear
sisters and brothers, allows us to do good to those who need us
despite the dangers that such action may bring about.
This story, then my dear friends, invites us when we see the rich and
powerful taking advantage of others to do something about it. It asks
us to remember the times we allowed fear to silence us when we should
have been shouting, when we saw the orphan and widow being
discriminated against, and looked the other way. Silence my dear
friends, was not the Jesús way, and it must not be ours. Let the
memory of St. Oscar Romero, of St. Teresa of Calcutta, of the Korean
and Uganda martyrs, inspire us, and let us not forget Martin Luther
King, Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi, who gave their lives seeking
Justice for the common people. May the lives of all those people
inspire us to be people of courage. Our world needs more of them if we
are to return to the harmony which is God’s wish for humanity.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, you created a world of peace and
harmony for us, your children. All you wanted from us was the exercise
of love, for you and for each other. That demanded of us that we think
of you primarily and of the good for each other, unfortunately we
failed to do what you expected of us and we began to think only of
ourselves, selfishness began to reign and harmony was lost. The strong
began to overpower the weak and this beautiful world was lost. But
Father you never stopped loving us, and you sent the prophets and your
son to help us return to what you wanted from us in the beginning. We
are still struggling Father, and the serpent continues to spread his
lies. Help us to overcome them Father and to dedicate ourselves to the
recreating of a world of harmony and peace. We ask this through the
intercession of Mary, our Mother and Jesus, your son and our brother,
Amen
Gospel: Matthew 15, 21 – 28
Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region
of Tyre and Sidon, then out came a Canaanite woman from that district
and started shouting, Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter
is tormented by a devil” But he answered her not a word. And his
disciples went and pleaded with him “Give her what she wants, they
said’ because she is shouting after us. He said in reply. ‘I was sent
only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel’ But the woman had come
up and was kneeling at his feet. “Lord’, she said, Help me. He
replied, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to
the house-dogs’ She retorted ‘Ah yes Sir, but even the house-dogs eat
the scraps that fall from their master’s table. Then Jesus answered
her, Woman you have great faith. Lert your wish be granted. And from
that moment her daughter was well again
______________________________
Homily
As a missionary, one of the problems that the social structure of the
present age often creates, is the belief that God loves some people
more than others. When we compare the very rich with those in refugee
camps, those who do not receive a living wage for their work, against
the exorbitant salaries of directors and managers, when we compare
those who do not have enough to obtain health insurance, the question
persists. “Does God truly love me? Unfortunately, the reading and
teaching of the book of Job is one of the best kept secrets of
biblical scholarship. And the Deuteronomic code which to a large
extent deals with our relationships with the orphan and widow is
seldom applied to everyday life. It is important to
remind ourselves here that this Gospel passage is from the Gospel of
Matthew. This is important because Matthew was a task collector before
he became a disciple. As a tax collector he was hated by the Jews. He
could not enter the temple, he could not approach the Holy of Holies,
He did not live the Deuteronomic code. All of this because he aided
the Romans in the oppression of the Jews. With his conversion to being
a disciple of Jesus however his attitude changed and he began to see
Jesus differently. This is seen most clearly in Chapter 25 of his
Gospel where he has Jesus saying, “If you did good to one of these
suffering souls you did it to me. It is important to mention that in
this passage Jesus does not qualify the suffering persons by race or
religion. It is any suffering person.
The Gospel passage given to us for our meditation this weekend, deals
with the issue of a Canaanite woman who is suffering because her
daughter is possessed by a demon.
As this story unfolds, we are told that Jesus went away to the
district of Tyree and Sidon. Tyree and Sidon are the northernmost
point of the boundaries of Palestine in those days. And Jesus goes up
there. It’s a place, though, with no Jews at all. It is inhabited
mostly by Canaanite people. The Canaanites, as you know, were the
people who were the predominant people for many centuries in what we
now call Palestine and Israel. They were Semites, as all peoples in
that area were, but they were Semites who believed in all kinds of
gods. They were not Semites who believed, as Jews came to believe, in
the one true God. Jews were the children of Abraham, but the Semites
were not.
The Canaanite people were hated by the Jews, and the Canaanites hated
the Jews in return. When Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho, it was
against the Canaanites, who were trying to drive him and the Jewish
people into the Jordan. So the first thing we have to admit is that
the culture of the Jews called them to hate the Canaanite people, and
the Canaanites returned the favor.
In this story Jesus went up to the district of Tyre and Sidon. We can
ask why did Jesus go up there? The answer may be that Jesus was
looking for a rest and probably thought that Tyree and Sidon as the
northernmost point of the boundaries of Palestine in those days, there
would be few Jews, and since he was sent to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel, he would probably have time to rest and pray. So,
Jesus goes up there. It’ s a place with no Jews at all. It is mostly
Canaanite people. As said before the Canaanite people were hated by
the Jews. Tyree and Sidon are the northernmost point of the boundaries
of those days of Palestine. And Jesus goes up there.
Now the Canaanites, as you know, were the people who were the
predominant people for many centuries in what we now call Palestine
and Israel. They were Semites, as all peoples in that area were, but
they were Semites who believed in all kinds of gods. They were not
Semites who believed, as Jews came to believe, in the one true God.
And so, the first thing you have to understand is that this lady is
also an outcast. She was someone not welcome among the Jewish people,
something like the lady at the well. It is interesting to note however
that the disciples themselves, even though at that moment the woman is
a nuisance, urge Jesus to attend to her. They tell him, “Give her what
she wants” because she is shouting after them.
The woman begins by calling Jesus, son of David, take pity on me, my
daughter is tormented by a devil” but the use of Jewish cultural
motivations does not work Jesus does not answer her. The question is
very simple; Is Jesus being held prisoner to his cultural motivations?
But his disciples plead with him because she is becoming a nuisance.
Give her what she wants, they plead with him. She is shouting after
us!! Lord helps me, she insisted, He answers by telling her she is
less than a dog. “It is not fair to take the children’s food to give
to the dogs, but the woman replies, yes, sir but even the dogs eat the
scrapes that fall form the master’s table. The woman, in fact tells
Jesus, “I am not asking for much” Jesus is surprised “I have not found
such faith in my abilities, even in Israel.” That faith allows him to
cure the woman’s daughter.
That miracle was produced because of three religious elements, The
first is love. It was love that forced that mother to go to Jesus, the
religious enemy seeking help for her daughter.
The second is faith. Now faith doesn’t only mean that she believes
that Jesus would heal her daughter. Faith also means in this
situation, even though you are from a people who are our enemies, “I
give my life into your hands. Do what you want but heal my daughter.
And I believe in you and I know you can do this.”
And, of course, the third element is courage. Because she loved her daughter,
she was willing to take the scorn of a member of a people who were
enemies of her group so that her daughter could be healed.
My dear sisters and brothers, as short as this Gospel reading is it
teaches us various lessons. The first is this, “Do we really know
what love means? And who are the people around you who demonstrate
true love? Unfortunately, we have equated true love with sex very
often. True love often means putting ourselves in danger for the
welfare of others. It means forgetting oneself and seeking the
well-being of others. One of the best friends that I ever had, during
the Covid pandemic died because a doctor told him that his brother had
to be taken to the hospital immediately. No ambulance was available,
so he took his brother to the hospital himself. The brother was saved,
and my friend died. The Canaanite woman was willing to take the
sarcasm of a member of a people who were enemies to obtain the healing
of her daughter. This is what Jesus did when he accepted the cross.
Faith my dear sisters and brothers, calls us to believe in the
goodness of others and while, faith in others must be carefully
established, A look at the lives of martyrs, like those of Kenya and
Corea, show us people who hold on to their belief and their teaching
in spite of opposition and the threat of great suffering. We must make
our homes and schools places where fidelity to one’s word is in fact
taught and encouraged.
The third element which must be developed is Courage. What is Courage?
Courage is the ability to do what appears to be impossible, or
dangerous. It is best described as the willingness to make and execute
a decision that is inherently dangerous. The Canaanite woman faced
with the problem of her daughter convinced a man who could have done
her harm to break all the tribal rules to help her. Courage, my dear
sisters and brothers, allows us to do good to those who need us
despite the dangers that such action may bring about.
This story, then my dear friends, invites us when we see the rich and
powerful taking advantage of others to do something about it. It asks
us to remember the times we allowed fear to silence us when we should
have been shouting, when we saw the orphan and widow being
discriminated against, and looked the other way. Silence my dear
friends, was not the Jesús way, and it must not be ours. Let the
memory of St. Oscar Romero, of St. Teresa of Calcutta, of the Korean
and Uganda martyrs, inspire us, and let us not forget Martin Luther
King, Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi, who gave their lives seeking
Justice for the common people. May the lives of all those people
inspire us to be people of courage. Our world needs more of them if we
are to return to the harmony which is God’s wish for humanity.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, you created a world of peace and
harmony for us, your children. All you wanted from us was the exercise
of love, for you and for each other. That demanded of us that we think
of you primarily and of the good for each other, unfortunately we
failed to do what you expected of us and we began to think only of
ourselves, selfishness began to reign and harmony was lost. The strong
began to overpower the weak and this beautiful world was lost. But
Father you never stopped loving us, and you sent the prophets and your
son to help us return to what you wanted from us in the beginning. We
are still struggling Father, and the serpent continues to spread his
lies. Help us to overcome them Father and to dedicate ourselves to the
recreating of a world of harmony and peace. We ask this through the
intercession of Mary, our Mother and Jesus, your son and our brother,
Amen
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