20th Sunday

“FIRST IMPRESSIONS”

20^th SUNDAY (A)

August 16, 2026

Isaiah 56: 6-7; Psalm 67; Romans
11: 13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15: 21-28

By: Jude Siciliano, OP

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I wish some of these gospel passages could be rewritten to make it easier for us preachers! The Canaanite woman comes to Jesus asking for help for her “tormented” daughter. She voices her petition in a way similar to others who came asking for Jesus’ help, “Have pity on me, Son of David!” She may not be Jewish, but she is even calling him by the messianic title. When others used this title they received a favorable response. But to the woman’s desperate request, Jesus’ is initially silent. Even his disciples want him to do something. Their request, “Send her away” (or as some have it, “dismiss her ”), may suggest they wanted Jesus to drive out the demon and heal the daughter. But Jesus gives two responses, one to the disciples and the other to the woman. Both are discouraging.

To the disciples he says, in effect, “She is not one of us [ i.e., of the house of Israel]. She’s not one to whom I have been sent.” Sounds exclusive to me; hardly what we usually get from the universal Savior our faith professes. Would he exclude certain groups of people from our worship assemblies? Would the newcomer to our country find a warm welcome in his church? Would he favor the benefactors over the welfare mothers and their crying infants in the back row? Would he want teenagers to dress according to code? Does he hear the prayer of someone who hasn’t prayed in thirty years as much as he does the devout nun in a monastery? Does he confirm the notions of those exclusive Christians who see all others as “infidels” of one kind or another? Not a very helpful notion during these days of religious strife, border incursions and terrorist threats against “others.” We don’t need more sounds of exclusivity in our faith. We don’t need to sound like we are professing faith in a God who is on “our side” against “them.”

To the petitioning woman Jesus speaks about taking the food of the children, the Jews, and “throwing” it to the dogs. Are we talking “pearls before swine” here? What kind of back-hand response was that? I would have preferred just the opening and closing part of the story: a desperate mother asks Jesus’ help, she acknowledges his messianic prerogative, and he rewards her by curing her daughter. There – isn’t that what we have come to expect in these miracle stories? I’d rather not deal with the messy matter in the middle. Unfortunately, I didn’t write this gospel, Matthew did. We’ll have to work with what he gives us. But as preacher today, I wouldn’t sugar coat or ignore the rough edges of the story. Those who will hear the gospel proclaimed will not fail to miss the peevish or exclusive sounds of Jesus’ statements. For sure, they will be thinking, “Let’s see how you handle this one preacher!”

What is Jesus doing “in the region of Tyre and Sidon” in the first place? It’s pagan territory. Remember when he was among his own he met opposition. He may be getting away for rest or be taking a break from all the conflict he has been meeting. Ironically, among non-believers he hears a distressed Canaanite mother call him by the title he might have hoped to have heard from his own people, “Son of David.” How could he, in the end, ignore her?

Some would interpret in less strident ways his harsh sounding response to the woman. “Dogs” is what the Jews called the Gentiles. However, the word Jesus uses in this passage for dogs is better translated, “pups.” But, even as we reduce the sting of his address to her, Jesus is still saying that salvation is to come through the Jews first. You can tell from our first reading that the Israelites heard that they had a vocation to the world; their faith was to be the way God reached out to all peoples. “The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord ...them I will bring to my holy mountain...for my house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL peoples.” Isaiah’s words were not merely to be a prediction for some bright day in the future but were a call to act on God’s design and bring “all peoples” to God. But Israel was frequently in a battered and defensive position, surrounded by unbelievers of all kinds. Quite naturally she became protective and insular, seeing the outside world as a danger to her faith and the faith of her young ones. The vast and inclusive vision of Isaiah is still a challenge to all believers. We have to make sure that, as we deal with charges and accusation from the outside, our God doesn’t get too small and become a God for a select few insiders who know the doctrines and rituals we profess.

Turns out God’s plan is not confined and the woman’s faith in Jesus is a clear revelatory event to him. God is breaking through narrow categories and channels, reaching beyond the usual frontiers. Somehow she recognizes that God is much bigger and more inclusive than any narrow box religious people might use to try to contain God. By the woman’s turning to Jesus and his favorable response, the readers of Matthew’s gospel learned to reflect on their shared religious customs and life together. Matthew’s community was originally Jewish with a few Gentile converts among them. This story must have been an encouragement to them to work out previous differences, find ways to live in harmony and common faith in Jesus. God may very well have first addressed Israel, but now all are welcome; the gate has been swung wide open.

But the woman’s blight is not primarily one of religious doctrine. Her daughter, she says is “tormented by a demon.” At its heart, this is a story of a mother with a terribly distressed child. Who knows what strange behavior the child was manifesting. Perhaps she was even there with the mother. The times have changed a lot since Jesus’ day when illness or mental afflictions were attributed to roaming demons who happened to pounce upon and possess a person. But we don’t have to look far to be able to name a father, mother or grandparent suffering because of a child. Notice the mother’s request, “Have pity on ME...” ----such it the suffering a parent takes on when a child is distressed. Indeed, the parent would rather suffer in place of the child and is indeed suffering at least as much as the child.

We pray for parents in the congregation today who are voicing a similar prayer for a child or grandchild, “Have pity on me, Lord.... My daughter/son/grandchild is tormented.” Some children seemingly change overnight and exhibit clear signs of torment---from drugs, alcohol, sexual addiction, abuse, rebellion, etc. They show “possessed behavior”: turning on parents, family, friends and teachers; becoming violent, drifting, turbulent, troublesome at school; associating with a new and rough element; becoming indifferent in class and rejecting activities they once loved. What a torment for those who love them! Most often, even before we pray for ourselves, we offer desperate prayers for these children we love so much and can’t seem to help. How many parents, desperate to help their children, like the Canaanite woman, have accompanied them to talk to teachers, or sit hours with them in the company of counselors and therapists to calm their troubled and tormented spirits? All the while, voicing in these or other words, this Canaanite mother’s prayer, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter/son is tormented.”

The woman’s story also reminds us that we too have come to Jesus through the Jews. We share the same faith; we see the hope this faith gave our ancestors in their wait for salvation. We are reminded we have no claim to priority with Jesus. With the woman and her daughter, we are recipients of grace---all has been freely bestowed on us. What we see with this gift of sight is the God Jesus reveals to the woman; a God who would draw us close, sees our distress and helps us. The woman also teaches us perseverance in prayer. We pray not to have God finally relent to our persistence. We persevere in prayer because we know through Christ, we have a hearing before God. Our prayer keeps us expectant and ready to recognize God’s help when it does arrive.

Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district [Tyre and Sidon] came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!”...

Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees for his lack of strict observance of religious customs and traditions. He responded by calling them hypocrites who only pay lip service to God. In contrast, Jesus praised the pagan Canaanite woman for having great faith. So, who are the truly pious and observant in Jesus’ eyes? Those who see in him God’s gracious desire to heal, forgive and welcome to the table.

Who are the “Canaanites” in our society, those we would push aside as unimportant and second class?

“One has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out.”

Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.

(While the prison is in Raleigh mail for inmates is processed at this address)

For more information on the Catholic position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing Network: http://catholicsmobilizing.org

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