Homily: Eighteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Eighteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 15:21-28) “Jesus Was Compassionate to All”

How did Jesus perceive his mission? Did he know exactly what he was going to do when he began his ministry? When we ask questions like this we bump up against the mystery of the Incarnation.

If we say that Jesus had a plan that he was implementing from the time he was born, we might downplay Jesus’ humanity. If we say Jesus was like the rest of us and that he had to discern the Father’s will for his life, we might downplay Jesus’ divinity.

Somehow, we must believe that Jesus was both human and divine. We see this tension in the passage we read today. Jesus seems to be deciding how he wanted to minister to non-Jewish people.

At the beginning of this passage, we see that Jesus seems to be indifferent to the needs of those who were not in the Jewish community. The Canaanites were the enemies of the Jews since the time of Moses. The two races were constantly competing for the same resources.

As a Jew, Jesus would probably not be too sympathetic to a Canaanite person. As a loving savior, he loved all people. The Canaanite woman challenges Jesus about the charity that he was advocating. You say we are to love each other yet you are choosing who you love.

Jesus took the woman’s criticism to heart. We see from this point onward that he seems to minister to the wider world. He heals people from a variety of races. If someone came to him with good will wanting help, he would try to help them.

Jesus grew in his understanding. He discerned that his mission was to redeem the world, not just part of the world.

Reflection:

1.    Do I believe Jesus had to discern the Father’s will? Why or why not?

2.   Am I selective about who I help? What are the criteria?

Dear Parishioners,

            I announce this every so often. We need your help as we are gathering information about those who are sick or in the hospital. We only find out about where the sick is when people call us. HIPPA laws are very strict.

            The priests cannot visit if we don’t know someone is in the hospital or nursing home or shut in. Please call us when you or a loved one are in the hospital.

            May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,

            Fr. Mark