Search
Our Sunday Reflection - August 20, 2023
-
-
Be gracious to us, O Lord, for we are in distress.
Psalm 31:9
-
-
-
Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
In today’s first reading, we hear God tell Isaiah, “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” We are gathered here today in a house of prayer, and so we welcome all people who have come here today to join together to pray to God in praise, in petition, and in thanksgiving. Let us lift up our voices in prayer to our God.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
Who is welcomed to our faith community, to our town, or to our country and who is not? What we hear today from Isaiah, Paul, and Jesus can help us understand God’s perspective. Each reading challenges us to break down walls that stand in the way of those who are excluded. In the Gospel, in fact, it is a foreign woman who persuades Jesus to break down the commonly accepted barriers of the day. May God’s word challenge us today as much as it did when it was written.Reflections
- The author of the passage of Isaiah that we hear today is unafraid to make a bold statement about God’s will during a tumultuous time in Israel’s history. Cyrus the Great, the Persian king, had just liberated the Israelites, fifty years after they were driven into exile by the Babylonians. They returned to Judah and found it desolate, with Jerusalem in ruins. But “Third Isaiah” (scholars believe this author of the book was the third to write under Isaiah’s name) challenges his compatriots to not only rebuild the temple and the country, but also to welcome all peoples to come worship the LORD. Though the pagan nation of Babylon had destroyed Judah and conquered its people, the pagan nation of Persia had rescued them and restored their lands. Isaiah understood that believing all foreigners to be evil and dangerous was simply wrong.
- It appears contradictory for Jesus to say, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” while standing in the region of Tyre and Sidon, which was clearly outside of Judea (Matthew 15:24). However, the Good Shepherd will not stop at boundaries to pursue his sheep. Therefore, this Canaanite woman feels free to challenge him to break down another boundary. Jesus refuses initially, but her persistence leads him to acquiesce, healing her daughter, sight unseen.
- Faith is key, but it may come from anyone, even far outside the community of believers. In the Gospel, it is the faith of the Canaanite woman that convinces Jesus to answer her prayer. In Isaiah, it is foreigners who come to God’s holy mountain with sacrifices and offerings. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, it is Gentiles whom Paul not only welcomes but hopes may spur Jewish people like Paul to accept Christ. Faith is to be encouraged in all peoples.
Question of the Week
Whom is the message of inclusion in today’s readings challenging me to look at differently? How can I be more accepting of others?
-from Pastoral Patterns
-
readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, August 20, 2023
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, August 20, 2023
-
Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
-
-
-
-
News from the Vatican
-
yesterdaySeveral of the new cardinal-designates announced by Pope Francis have applauded the increased diversity of those getting a red hat, saying the appointments signal a shift in center of Catholicism... -
yesterdayIn his meeting with his brother Jesuits in Belgium, Pope Francis call secularization a “complex phenomenon” and noted sometimes the Church must “confront forms of paganism.” -
2 days agoParticipants in the ongoing Synod of Bishops on Synodality have said that while questions surrounding the role of women in the Church are important, they can be distracting from other key issues on...
-
-