Gospel Reflection 2019/2020

20^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

16 Aug 2020

[Matthew 15: 21-28]

We live in a sensitive world today. Everyone is sensitive and can easily be offended. And to please everyone, we are forced to be politically correct. In the West, Christians are called “Easter Worshippers” because the word “Christians” sounds offensive to many. We must not wish others “Blessed Christmas”, instead we must use the more politically-acceptable “Season’s Greetings”. Statues of Catholic saints must be removed, destroyed, or vandalized because they are the products of “White Imperialism”. Some even suggest that we should not call “God the Father”, because it is male chauvinism. Others are pushing for the Bible, the Word of God, to be “re-aligned” to be politically correct and acceptable.

Imagine Jesus saying this to the world today, “It is not fair to give the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.” All hell would break loose: Jesus would be crucified, not for His claim to be the Son of God, but for saying such discriminative and derogative words! Let us remain calm and not taking Jesus’ words out of context.

The focus of this Gospel scene should be: no one who comes to Jesus with sincerity of heart is turned away, and this includes the Canaanite woman who has come “bothering” Jesus and His disciples. Jesus, seeing her persistence, already has in His mind to grant her wish.

And here are our valuable spiritual lessons:

(1) Faith and perseverance.

Just last Sunday, we heard of Peter and the disciples battling the wind and the sea. Jesus called Peter out of the boat to walk on the water. Distracted by the wind and the sea, Peter lost faith for a moment, and he sank. Jesus caught hold of his hand and pulled him out of water. This Sunday, the Canaanite woman came to Jesus with great faith and persistency. Despite being ignored, and despite the “stinging” remark from Jesus, the faith of the woman did not waver. Jesus has promised us that if we believe and if we persist, we will see greater things than that [Jn 1: 50].

(2) Humility.

Jesus’ “stinging” remark is targeted at us, and not so much at the Canaanite woman. We think we are holier than the rest of the world. We think our salvation is assured and guaranteed. We think that we are the children at the table, privileged and entitled to all the graces and blessings of the Lord; and the rest of the world are outcasts and beyond redemption. If we really look around us: there are many holy men and women outside the inner circle of the Church, or even outside the Church. And Jesus warns us that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of us [Mt 21: 31], and on another occasion, Jesus says, “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited are not worthy. Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.” [Mt 22: 8-9] In the Kingdom of God, the greatest will be the smallest, and the first will be the last. Let us always be humble and work out our salvation with fear and trembling [Ph 2: 12].

(3) The power in a mother’s prayer.

It is often said that Jesus will not ignore a mother’s prayer. And yes, it is evidenced by this Sunday’s miracle when Jesus cured the daughter of the Canaanite woman because of her great faith and perseverance. When a mother prays earnestly for her child(ren), the Lord will not refuse His love, His mercy and His help. If there is power in a mother’s prayer, it is much more powerful and efficacious, when the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, prays with us and intercedes for us. When we are in need of God’s grace and blessings, let us not be hesitant to ask Mary our Mother to pray with us and pray for us!

Let our fervent prayer be:

“Mary my Mother, pray with me and pray for me, now and at the hour of my death.”