14/08/2011 - 20th. Sunday in Ordinary Season - Year A
1Reading Is 56,1.6-7 Psalm 66 2Reading Rom 11,13-15.29-32 Gospel Mt 15,21-28
Today's Liturgy is an open door to all those who do not believe, who do not know
God the Father and who do not have any relationship with Jesus, his Son, and therefore
not even with the Church.
St. Paul puts the people of God, the hebrew people, destined for salvation, against
the other peoples, the pagans. He turns to them, calling them "gentiles",
as the other peoples were called from the unique and elected people. He says to
these persons of these people who were coming to the faith: you were once disobedient
to God, away from him, and he had mercy of you thanks to the death of Jesus; now
even the elected people became disobedient, in fact he sentenced to death the one
who with that same death, saved them. God will have mercy of this disobedient people
too, as he was merciful with you. Even they shall know him as the merciful God!
He shall draw even his people to belong to his beloved Son.
The prophets, Isaiah in particular, look with goodness to foreign peoples and proclaim
that God wants to bring them together in his love. The jewish people was chosen
exactly in view of the salvation of all the peoples. It is the work of the people
of Israel to draw close to God all, bring them to his house in prayer, in his temple,
so that all come to meet him and so all can enjoy his goodness. What shall this
happen?
The answer is in the Gospel text. Jesus knows that he is sent only to "the
lost sheep of the house of Israel", but a woman, coming from another people,
comes to him and won't leave him until he listens to her. She is pagan, but puts
faith in Jesus that surprised Jesus himself. If faith is already present in her,
he cannot push her away: she is already in the heart of God. The pagans start to
get hold of the Jesus,the Jew, to be taken to the God of life and of peace. Jesus
performs the miracle asked by the woman: it is a sign, a sign that with him starts
a new era, that in which all, all, find access to the heart of the loving and merciful
God.
Jesus was pleased by the faith of that woman: it was a faith inhim, sure that he
has the divine authority to overcome the devil, who was ruining the life of her
daughter and also her's. It was a humble faith: the woman didn't rebel to the words
of Jesus which referred to the ways that normally the Jews express themselves, scornfully
to who don't belong to their people: "It is not right to take the bread of
the sons to throw it to dogs". The sons were the Jews, the dogs were all the
others. Hence Jesus tried to soften an offensive word. The woman would not only
get offended, use the same word to answer back and express her trust in him. Jesus
is here for all. We are to look with sympathy towards all, even those who do not
share yet our faith. We look with sympathy towards aetheist and unbelivers, members
of other religions, moslems, hinduist and confucians. When they will know Jesus
and call upon him, will express a faith deeper that ours. How many shall pass us
by on our way to our Lord! We are not to envy them, on the contrary, we are to be
happy to find in them brothers and sisters.
In the awaiting of these little and great events, let us not loose time: Let us
love Jesus by turning the eyes of our heart upon him with the desire to obey him
and be witness so that many others come closer to him without fear. Let us practive
our faith with a greater comitment, for the joy of the Lord himself, so that we
too grow towards the obedient son, to be with our love, an attraction, a sign that
helps all men to choose Jesus as Lord and Teacher!