20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A
NO ONE SHOULD BE EXLUDED
MT 15: 21-28
MESSAGE
In some Asian cultures, foreigners, especially white and Western, are admired and esteemed for their looks: the fair skin, high bridge nose, and ability to speak English. Some Thai schools employ backpackers who do not even have college degrees because these are an attraction to parents to have their children taught by “international” teachers. Some Southeast Asian women gravitate towards white foreign men, including some Filipinas who dream of marrying “afam,” – A Foreigner Around Manila – thinking these men can bring to marriage and financial heaven abroad.
Many Jews in the time of the Lord Jesus thought of themselves as superior to others and despised foreigners as low-ranking. This belief did not come from God since it was clear from Scripture that God was Father to all people. So Jesus broke through this illusion of grandeur. In the Gospel today he praised the delicate faith of a foreign woman who believed in God’s healing power more than the rest of the crowd.
Like the Jews, today it happens that we sometimes separate ourselves from others, either by looking up to them because they seem more sophisticated or civilized or by looking down on others who are not at par with our status or condition in life. But Jesus challenges both these assumptions: he comes to teach us the equal dignity of all in the eyes of God. We are all God’s children, and thus brothers and sisters to each other. We are therefore equal in dignity. An American actor once wrote in a questionnaire that asked about ethnicity the simple word “human.”
As we look deeply into our hearts, do they beat in consonance with the heart of Jesus? Or do we exclude others from our love and concern? Are there people we think unworthy of our attention? Are there people we have separated ourselves from or severed our relationships with? Who are the “foreigners” in our midst?
REFLECT
It is time to admit our prejudices against other people; courageously name the “foreigners” in your mind and heart. The world is already full of divisive and bitter factions. As Christians, let us beg the Lord for the grace of a heart humble and open, respectful and accepting of others.
