Today’s Gospel is the only occasion where we see Jesus ministering outside of Jewish Territory. He is in Tyre and Sidon which is 50 miles north of Israel in what is present day Lebanon. A Gentile woman who was a foreigner puts Jesus on the spot by asking for help. Now Jews often spoke of Gentiles with insolence calling them “unclean dog”. Jesus no doubt with a smile commented on not feeding dogs from the Master’s table. The woman with great wit and faith responds immediately that, “even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table”. Jesus praises the woman for her faith and for her love and heals her daughter immediately.
The Jewish people had great difficulty accepting Gentiles in their midst. Their covenant told them they were a people set apart and chosen by God. So how could God let these “impure” Gentiles be living in their Promised land? They forgot that God had chosen them, not just for their own sake, but to bring his light to every nation.
Initially all the followers of Jesus were Jews. But as more and more Gentiles came to believe, the Jewish Christians also began to understand that God’s plan for salvation was far bigger than they had expected. The result was that they began to live, work and pray together. What this caused was a diverse, beautiful and sometimes messy church that we know today.
Jesus wants his church to be for all people, not just those who look and talk like us. God wants us to be the welcoming face of his church to all people. Pray that we will be open to everyone who is seeking the Lord. Through us may God’s grace flow out Into the entire world.
DeColores, Deacon Doug
Join us in prayer!
We encourage you to join us as we recite the Holy Rosary every night at 8PM! On Wednesdays, we pray the rosary via Zoom with the rector and rectora.
Resources for those not able to attend Mass
Daily Readings in English and Spanish from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Prayers, readings for Mass, and additional spiritual readings are available at:
Magnificat publication, a spiritual guide that includes daily Mass: https://us.magnificat.net/free
“Give Us This Day” a digital file of their periodical, which includes daily Mass texts. Visit GUTD.net and select “Digital” in the upper right of the screen.