Ang Ika-20 nga Domingo sa Tuig (A)
Agusto 16, 2020
EBANGHELYO (Mt 15:21-28)
Mibiya si Jesus miadtong dapita ug miadto sa kayutaan duol sa mga siyudad sa Tiro ug sa Sidon. 22Usa ka babaye nga taga-Canaan, nga nagpuyo niadtong dapita, miduol kaniya ug mituwaw, “Sir, Anak ni David, kaloy-i intawon ako! Ang anak kong babaye giyawaan ug nag-antus pag-ayo.” 23Apan wala motubag si Jesus. Miduol ang iyang mga tinun-an kaniya ug miingon, “Papahawaa siya kay nagsunodsunod siya kanato ug saba kaayo!” 24Unya mitubag si Jesus, “Gipadala ako ngadto lamang sa nawalang mga karnero sa nasod sa Israel.” 25Apan miduol ang babaye ug miluhod sa atubangan ni Jesus, “Sir, tabangi intawon ako!” miingon siya. 26Si Jesus mitubag, “Dili maayo nga kuhaon ang kalan-on sa mga anak ug ipakaon sa mga iro.” 27Ang babaye mitubag, “Tinuod kana, Sir, apan bisan gani ang mga iro makakaon man sa mga mumho nga mahulog gikan sa lamesa sa agalon. 28Ug si Jesus mitubag kaniya, “Inday, pagkadako sa imong pagsalig! Matuman ang imong gihangyo.” Ug niadto dayong gutloa naayo ang iyang anak. Ang Ebanghelyo sa Ginoo.
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KAHULOGAN SA EBANGHELYO (Mateo 15:21-28)
21Mibiya si Jesus miadtong dapita…
Sa makadaghan atong nabasa nga si Jesus mobiya sa usa ka dapit. Niining higayona miadto siya sa laing dapit. Usa sa mga hinungdan niini mao nga sugod niadtong iyang pagpilopilo sa pan, ang mga katawhan naglaraw man gud nga ilang himoong hari si Jesus—hari nga kalibutanon. Sukwahi kini sa tinuod nga tuyo sa pag-anhi ni Jesus. Mao nga gilikayan niya ang pagkig-uban sa daghang mga tawo. Ang iyang panahon ug paningkamot iya hinoong gigugol sa pagporma sa iyang napulog duha ka mga apostoles. Gawas pa tungod sa kadaghan sa mga buhatonon adunay gayoy higayon nga siya nahago ug anaa sa tumang kakapoy. Ang iyang tubag niini mao ang paghimudlay ug ang pag-ampo.
21bug miadto sa kayutaan duol sa mga siyudad sa Tiro ug sa Sidon. 22Usa ka babaye nga taga-Canaan… miduol kaniya ug mituwaw, “Sir, Anak ni David, kaloy-i intawon ako! Ang anak kong babaye giyawaan ug nag-antus pag-ayo.”
Ang Tiro ug Sidon maoy mga teritoryo nga gawas sa Israel. Sentro kini sa patigayon ug nagkalainlain ang gigikanan sa mga lumulopyo niini. Ang babaye nga miduol kang Jesus taga Canaan. Ang taga Canaan mga kaaway sa Israel.
Ania ang dakong kahibulongang panghitabo. Samtang didto sa Israel nahimong kontrobersiya si Jesus, dinhi sa yutang langyaw, siya nakadungog sa usa ka pag-ampo sa pagtuo ug kini gikan pa gayod sa usa ka babaye. Ang gisinggit sa babaye usa man god ka liturhikanhong pag-ampo nga mao ang “Kyrie eleison” nga sa ato pa, kaloy-i ako. Ug ang “Anak ni David” maoy usa ka titulo sa Mangluluwas.
23Apan wala motubag si Jesus.
Ngano nga wala man motubag si Jesus sa pangaliyupo sa usa ka nagpakimaluoy nga inahan?
Niadtong higayona adunay mga hinungdan sa iyang paghilom: Si Jesus naghinay sa iyang mga gipakitang milagro kay tingali na usab og masaypan siya sama sa nahitabo didto sa Israel: Ang mga Pariseo nagtuo nga may gahum siya gikan sa yawa (Mt 12:24); ugang daghang mga tawo nagtuo kaniya nga usa ka magikero (Mt 14:22). Mao nga daghang mga higayon nga si Jesus misugo sa iyang mga tinun-an sa pagpakihilom kabahin sa iyang mga milagro (Mk 1:34, 44; Mk. 7:36; Mk 8:26; Mk 9:9).
24Miduol ang iyang mga tinun-an kaniya ug miingon, “Papahawaa siya kay nagsunodsunod siya kanato ug saba kaayo!”
Mao unta kini ang labing sayon nga himoon. Kasagaran mao kini ang sukdanan kanatong mga tawo—shortcut, magdalidali o dili na ipaagi og saktong proseso.
Dili ba mao man usab kini ang atong buhaton—ang pagpangita og sayong solusyon, dili na buot nga maghago o maghulat og dugay pa?
24Unya mitubag si Jesus, “Gipadala ako ngadto lamang sa nawalang mga karnero sa nasod sa Israel.”
Sa una wala gayod si Jesus manumbaling. Karon mipatataw na siya sa iyang tubag—dili itugot ang among hangyo sa babayeng taga Canaan!
Ngano ba usab Jesus nga ang imong tubag DILI man? Sa makadaghan amo kining nasinati!
Apan ato rang masabtan si Jesus. Nagsunod lamang siya sa kabubut-on sa Amahan: nga ang iyang misyon nianang higayona alang lamang sa mga nawala nga banay sa Israel. Unya ra niya ihatag ngadto sa iyang mga tinun-an ang kaakohan sa pag-adto sa tibuok kalibutan aron pagsangyaw (Mt 28:19); ug kini mahitabo pa unya tapos siya mabanhaw (Mt 28:18). Samtang niining higayona, gidawat ang kamatuoran ni Jesus nga adunay limitasyon ang akab-oton sa iyang misyon. Usa kini ka larawan mahitungod sa Maayong Magbalantay (tan-awa sa Ezekiel 34:1-31).
25Apan miduol ang babaye ug miluhod sa atubangan ni Jesus, “Sir, tabangi intawon ako!” miingon siya.
Ang babaye mihimog mas lawom nga pag-ampo.
Mao ba usab kini ang atong gihimo panahon nga gisulay kita sa atong pagtuo? Mas nagmaampoon ba kita?
26Si Jesus mitubag, “Dili maayo nga kuhaon ang kalan-on sa mga anak ug ipakaon sa mga iro.”
Daw dili gayod ikahatag ang gipangayo!
27Ang babaye mitubag, “Tinuod kana, Sir, apan bisan gani ang mga iro makakaon man sa mga mumho nga mahulog gikan sa lamesa sa agalon.
Iro tuod apan dili ba kabahin man siya sa panimalay? Usa ka makinaadmanon nga tubag!
28Ug si Jesus mitubag kaniya, “Inday, pagkadako sa imong pagsalig! Matuman ang imong gihangyo.” Ug niadto dayong gutloa naayo ang iyang anak.
Kinahanglan nga mahagit usab kita sa atong pagtuo—nga adunay daghan nga naghulat, bisan na lang sa mumho, gikan kanato.
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Living WORD
By Fr. Jose “Joesum” Sumampong, Jr.
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for August 16, 2020 (20th SUN in OT – A)
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oOoKindly open your Bible and Read Mt. 15:21-28
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Points for Reflection: I am sharing to my dear readers two stories which has been a part of my collections to help you reflect as the Universal Church celebrates the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Times – A.
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# 1. A six-year-old girl went to her friend’s house for supper. When everyone was seated at the table, she bowed her head and waited for a prayer.
When no one prayed, she smiled sheepishly and said, “I see you’re like my dog; you start right in.”
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# 2. One spring a terrible flood engulfed a rural area. It stranded an old woman in her house. As the woman stood on the front porch, a man in a boat appeared and said, “I’ve come to save you.” “No thanks,” said the woman. “I trust God completely. If worst comes to worst, he’ll save me.”
The next day the water rose to the second floor. As the woman stood at her bedroom window, again, a man in a boat appeared and said, “I’ve come to save you.” “No thanks,” said the woman. “I trust God completely. If worst comes to worst, he’ll save me.”
The next day the water rose to the roof. As the woman sat on the roof, a man appeared in a helicopter and said, “I’ve come to save you.” “No thanks,” said the woman. “I trust God completely. If worst comes to worst, he’ll save me.”
The next day the flood covered the house and the woman drowned.
When she got to heaven, she said to St. Peter, “Before I go inside, I want to register a complaint.
I trusted that God would save me from the flood, but he let me down.” Peter gave the woman a puzzled look and said,
“I don’t know what more the Lord could have done for you.
He sent you two boats and a helicopter.”
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During today’s First Reading from the Book of Isaiah, [Is. 56:1, 6-7], we heard the Words of the Lord God, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” [Is. 56:7] In this prophetic exhortation and warning, the Lord promised to bring to His holy mountain all the foreigners, the Gentiles, who unite themselves to Him.
This particular passage from the Holy Scriptures placed an emphasis on the Temple of the Lord, on worship, on the Sabbath, on fasting and on the Law. At the same time, there was a reference to universal salvation, the necessity for purification and the fulfillment of hopes through the arrival of the promised Messiah. In summary, today’s passage from the Holy Bible echoed the fulfillment of the Heavenly Father’s Divine plan that was manifested by our Lord Jesus Christ who instituted the Holy Catholic Church.
God gave two commands, “Maintain justice, and do what is right.” [Is. 56:1] Not only were the people commanded to do what is right on a personal basis, but they were also commanded as a people to maintain justice. That means that God’s people was expected to obey the Laws of Moses that were handed down from generation to generations. The Laws of Moses were actually Divine Laws, these having been given to Moses by God Himself.
Unity to God was conditional. Those who wished to be united to the Lord God, they were required to serve Him as servants. They were required to love the Most Holy Name of the Lord, not to profane it. They were required to keep the sabbath, holding fast to the Covenant of the Lord. These are the ones that the Lord God promised to recognize as His children, those that He would bring to His holy mountain, bringing joy to them in His House of Prayer. [Is. 56:7]
“The House of Prayer for all peoples,” [Is. 56:7] formerly known as the Temple, is now called the Church, the Church being the physical building in which the faithful worship the Lord God. If you recall, Jesus made reference to the “House of Prayer for all the nations” [Mt. 21:13; Mk. 11:17; Jn. 2:16] when He drove the money- changers from the Temple. In the Gospel of John, [Jn. 2:13-22] the application of the House of Prayer is developed to mean more than the physical building of gathering for worship. The House of Prayer, the Temple, is defined as consisting of Jesus’ own body.
During today’s Second Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans, [Rom. 11:13-15, 29-32] we heard that God’s gift and calling to Israel was irrevocable. This Reading was a follow-up of an earlier Chapter that addressed Israel’s failure to accept Christ because of its own denial. [Rom. 10:1-21] Israel’s rejection of Christ was not because God’s promises had failed. For God had foreseen in His election of Israel as His people that in time, they would harden their hearts and reject the truth.
While Paul expressed sorrow over Israel’s blindness, he is quick to point out that God can make good things come out of everything. Because Israel rejected the opportunity placed before it, the salvific uprightness that was made possible through Jesus [Rom. 10:1-4] the opportunity to believe in Christ was offered to all. When a reference is made to all, this includes Israel, its inclusion being an assurance that its people would not deny having been provided with the opportunity to hear the Gospel.
St. Paul points out to those who are gathered around him, if Israel’s rejection resulted in the reconciliation of the world, what would be the result of Israel’s acceptance of the Messiah? Surely, it would be a greater glory, the dead obtaining eternal life through Christ. How is this possible? It is because “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” [Rom. 11:29] God’s ‘word shall not return to Him empty, but it shall accomplish that which He purposed and succeed in the thing for which He sent it.” [Is. 55:11]
Speaking of God’s Divine mercy, Paul indicated that since God had shown mercy to His people that had disobeyed Him, in all fairness, this same Divine mercy should be shown towards the Gentiles. [Rom. 11:30-1] In fairness to all that nations, God has permitted that they all be touched by the sin of disobedience, this ensuring that all would equally qualify to receive Divine mercy. [Rom. 11:32; Gal. 3:22]
Today’s Reading from the Gospel of Matthew, [Mt. 15:21-28] the account of Jesus and the Canaanite woman, is one of the rare encounters of Jesus with Gentiles. As you all heard earlier, when Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon, [Mt. 15:21] in Southern Phoenicia, He was approached by a woman who abounded in love for her daughter who was tormented by a demon. [Mt. 15:22] Most likely have heard of the great miracles that Jesus was performing towards the Jewish people, this Canaanite woman took it upon herself to personally locate Jesus and to beg His mercy on her.
What is unusual about this event is that the woman was a Canaanite. In deuteronomic and postdeuteronomic literature, the Canaanites was viewed as a very sinful race that embodied every possible evil and godlessness. The Canaanites were viewed as a nation that was to be exterminated. A it was not the general practice for the Jewish people to mix with the Samaritans, also, it was not the general practice for them to mix with the Canaanites. So what was Jesus to do when He was approached by a race that was avoided by the Jewish people?
At first, he ignored her. He did not answer her at all. [Mt. 15:23] The more Jesus ignored her, the more the woman shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The more the woman shouted, the more the disciples of Jesus were getting annoyed and urged Jesus to send her away so she will stop shouting. [Mt. 15:23] In this particular case, when the disciples were urging Jesus to dismiss the woman, this was not a request to just get rid of her. Based on the exact meaning of the original writing of this passage of the Holy Scripture, their request was for Jesus to dismiss the woman by granting her petition.
To this, Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” [Mt. 15:24] How harsh these words must have sounded to the woman. It was like saying to her, “God’s mercy is only for my people, the Palestinians. You are a Canaanite; go away!” This incident would be similar to someone going to a priest to confess his sins and the priest tells him to go away because he only hears the confessions of those of a certain nationality. Talk about discrimination! Was Jesus going to discriminate?
Anyway, the determined lady knew a good thing when she saw it and she was not about to give up on Jesus. She threw herself at His feet and repeated herself, “Lord, help me.” [Mt. 15:25] Jesus responded, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” [Mt. 15:26] To this, she answered, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” [Mt. 15:27] Seeing how great her faith was, she having remarkably persisted, Jesus told her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish. And her daughter was healed instantly.” [Mt. 15:28]
The conversation that took place between Jesus and the Canaanite woman is an example of dialogues that are admired in the Near East. Many refer to this type of dialogue as wisdom. Why wisdom? Because it requires a certain ability to match a riddle with a riddle, a wise saying with another wise saying, an insult with another insult, or as in the case of today’s Reading, to turn an insult into a commitment. In affirming His having been sent to minister to the Jewish nation, Jesus appeared to be very harsh towards the Canaanite woman. That is because He acted like a real Palestinian of those days.
By granting favor to the persistent woman, Jesus affirmed that He had been sent to institute “a house of prayer for all people.” His Kingdom that is on earth now and that is to come was not meant for only one people; it was meant for all the nations. While Saint Paul played a key role in the admission of the Gentiles into the Catholic Church, Jesus had given signs in His ministry that this was to be fulfilled. And the Heavenly Father had repeatedly prophesied this Divine Plan through the prophets of the Old Testament.