in an argument!
August 14 - XX Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Liturgy today underlines the "Catholic" nature of the Church. All three Readings deal with the Jewish people, with their beliefs and their very marked conviction that they are the Chosen people, practicing a faith received directly from God.Quite true. But then comes the catch: they are right and everybody else is wrong - especially this turn-coat called "Paul" and his weird ideas!
In the First Reading, however, we see that the problem is not new. The Jews in Old Testament times were surrounded by pagans but Isaiah makes it clear that it is not their nationality that makes pagans acceptable to God but rather their readiness to accept the conditions God requires. This remains true also today.
The Responsorial Psalm conveys the same idea: "Let ALL the peoples praise you, O God." We are all members of the same human race notwithstanding superficial external differences.
St. Paul in the Second Reading is writing with feeling and with force: he is super-convinced of the divine call to conversion and the true faith given also to the pagans and he underlines this in the hope that his Jewish brethren will be stirred perhaps to jealousy but then to faith. This unfortunately still has not happened to any significant degree but Paul has not abandoned his people: the pagans were originally out in the cold but now have the faith offered to them. May this happen also to the Jewish people and bring about a real "resurrection!"
The Gospel, with its fascinating dialog between the Master and a pagan woman, reminds us of a similar encounter between Jesus and the Woman at the Well. But there are differences: at the Well the Lord was tired and thirsty but yet utterly ready to "share the Word" with all and sundry. In this Gospel he seems in top form, apparently refusing a desperate request for help but in reality leading the anxious lady to express more and more faith in him until in the end he pays her a wonderful compliment: "Great is your faith!" (This seems to express what he meant better than the rather flat: "You have great faith." )And once again the point is made: the Gospel is preached also to pagans and salvation is theirs if they want it.
This is also the only time that the Master was beaten in an argument - and to think he crossed swords with the ultra-smart religious leaders and left them speechless!
~August 2011 Concord
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