The following homily was prepared by Father Garry Koch for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. Father Koch is the pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.
This homily is second in a series of homilies with Eucharistic themes to be used in churches across the Diocese over the next year. Recently commissioned by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., the series includes the work of 13 priests and features sample homilies – in English and Spanish – along with other notes and information to assist any members of the clergy who opt to use it.
SAMPLE HOMILY:
Our readings for this Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary time place an emphasis on the relationship between the Gentile and the Jews during biblical times. There were very distinct differences in culture, religious belief and practice, dietary laws, social moral codes, language, and even dress that clearly distinguished the Jews from the rest of the people of the ancient world.
While Judaism did not perceive itself to be a distinct religion to which one converted, there were people in the ancient world, especially in the Greco-Roman period, who were taken by the simplicity of life and faith of the Jews and found ways to practice Judaism in their own way.
The synagogue of the ancient world was a place of study, prayer, and discussion, and many Gentiles would attend so that they might be spiritually enriched by this unique Jewish faith. It was this group of people who were rightly disposed to hear the Gospel message, becoming the early Christian converts. Saint Paul, in a very special way, appeals to this group of righteous gentiles.
The Gospel passage today recounts a time when Jesus left his Jewish homeland and went to the district of Tyre and Sidon in Lebanon. He was there for some quiet time, going away with his disciples. As this is a coastal town, we can imagine Jesus and the disciples simply enjoying the serene nature of the shore.
An unidentified local woman sees them and begins to beg Jesus for some help. Her daughter is possessed by a demon, and she needs relief. Jesus and the disciples are not only reluctant to listen to her they might even appear to be apathetic to her appeals, desiring to be left alone.
Nonetheless, she is persistent.
We do not know how she recognizes Jesus. Clearly, though a gentile, she has a profound sense of faith in the works of Jewish prophets and in Jesus’s ability to assist her. The prophet Isaiah foresees a time when Jew and gentile alike will worship God on the holy mountain, and the sacrifices of all of the righteous will be acceptable to him.
We might say of this woman that she is one of the righteous ones; a person who has found a sense of hope and consolation in the work message of the Law and the Prophets. Yet, she does not know that she is encountering the Christ, the One foretold in the Scriptures.
What draws us – what draws non-Catholics and even non-Christians to the Eucharist? One of the blessings of the Perpetual Adoration Chapels is that it even draws non-Catholics into a place of intense quiet and prayer in the presence of the Lord.
What is it that we seek from the Lord? Often our hearts are filled with what the Psalmist prays today: “May God have pity on us and bless us.”
Being in the presence of our divine Lord draws us to seek mercy. We are conscious of our sinfulness and unworthiness to be in his presence. The more time we spend with Jesus the deeper our desire to seek the healing remedy of the Sacrament of Confession. These two Sacraments are deeply connected to one another, a connection which is emphasized in the requirement that one makes a Confession before the first reception of Holy Communion.
Like the woman in today’s Gospel who seeks relief for her daughter, many find a true healing remedy in the Eucharist, and it is most poignant when received as viaticum, the final Communion before dying. The tactile nature of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick makes palpably present the healing touch of Christ – “Let it be done for you as you wish,” as Jesus says to this Canaanite woman.
Our entire sacramental economy flows from the Eucharist and points us back to the Eucharist.
This Canaanite woman knew she was unworthy and that she was an outsider, she only sought the smallest crumb that fell from the table, yet she knew that even that crumb would be greater than anything else she could seek.
While reception of the Eucharist remains the exclusive gift to those in communion with the Church, it is the greatest evangelical gift that the Lord has given to the Church. The initiation Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Communion draw us into the relationship with Christ that seeks further remedy through penance and anointing.
The ministry of Jesus lives on in the Church through the priesthood: bishop, priest, and deacon. The work of the Church, the efficacy of the Sacraments, the presence of Christ, is expressed through the work of the priesthood.
Through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, a man and woman give witness to the world of the love of Christ at work in and through them. They seek to bring each other to the table of Christ, so that they might share eternally in the heavenly banquet.
The strength and power of the faith of this unnamed Canaanite woman stands as a testimonial to us of the power of faith at work in our own lives. At the word of Jesus, she left and returned to her daughter, confident that what he said to her was fulfilled – her daughter was indeed healed.
May we live in confident assurance that the Word of God – expressed in and through the liturgical action of the Church – is at work within us and in our world.
CONCLUSION/IMPACT/RECOMMENDATION:
Today the Church is embroiled in a debate about the nature of the Eucharist. Not only do many no longer recognize the true presence of Christ – “body, blood, soul, and divinity” – in the Sacrament, but they seem to reject the ontological power of all of the sacraments. Within the debate about the Eucharist is whether the Sacrament is the reward for living in the state of grace, or a healing remedy for those who are sinners. The debate is polarizing and both sides are valid in their perspective. The Eucharist calls us to conversion, but we must recognize that all of us are in need of conversion. “[Jesus] said in reply: ‘It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs. She said, ‘Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.’”
SUMMARY POINTS FROM THE HOMILY:
Each person is drawn to Jesus for a specific reason: adoration, thanksgiving, spiritual healing, physical healing, sometimes even just curiosity. This is always an opening point. A Canaanite woman sought healing for her daughter and went to great lengths to ensure that Jesus would respond to her. Her faith, as unformed as it might have been, was great. Jesus acknowledged this faith and gave her the remedy she sought. As we approach the Eucharist – either through the reception of Holy Communion or a period of Adoration – we bring our deepest selves to him. While we might need to be persistent, our faith is the deepest assurance of God’s love and mercy for us.