WEEKEND LITURGY

ISAIAH 56:1, 6-7     PSALM 67     ROMANS 11:13-15, 29-32     MATTHEW 15:21-28

The story told in Matthew's gospel this weekend is apropos for our times.   Jesus is approached by a Gentile (non-Jew) woman begging Him to cure her daughter of a demon.  Jesus ignores her.  In fact, His disciples urged Him to tell her to "get lost".  

At first He agreed with them, saying, "Yes, I was sent here to help the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Jesus and His disciples were all Jews, you see.  But the woman persisted.  She did Him homage and begged again.  Jesus, relented and cured the child.

It may not have been His primary mission, to help others besides the Jews, but He knew it would eventually come to that.  Here He showed His Apostles His desire to have a universal church . . . to be "church" to all peoples.  In fact, the Apostle He chose to replace Judas was Paul, the writer of letters that make up so much of the New Testament.  Paul named himself the 'Apostle to the Gentiles'.
When you hear of evil in the world, remember that it is God's intention that ALL people become one Church.
🕇