“In what ways can we break down borders, rub shoulders and share grace with those who have previously been so far away from us?” Here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.
Readings for Wednesday of week 18 of Ordinary Time can be found here
“You have to be in it to win it,” is a phrase we often hear, particularly in terms of lottery competitions. If you don’t buy a lottery ticket, then you will never win. Although, if you buy a ‘euro lottery’ ticket the odds of winning are 1 in 140 million. You work it out!
The woman in the gospel reading isn’t “in it.” That is to say, she is a foreigner and not a member of the house of Israel. She knows it. Jesus knows it. Everyone knows it. And yet, she also knows that she doesn’t want the big win. She is happy with the scraps. In a world where we yearn for big wins and huge riches, this Canaanite woman is content with the scraps that fall from the table. We can only imagine how desperate she is. Jesus responds to her need and her faith with a great accolade. “How great is your faith,” he says. Her deepest desire to be rid of the demon which afflicts her, is granted.
So often, people can feel excluded for all kinds of reasons. Jesus, though, reaches out across borders and boundaries. He looks to the foreigner and the stranger and sees them as they are. He recognises their need. He acknowledges their faith. In a world which has become so polarised, in a society of “them and us,” Jesus continues to challenge our assumptions. He shows us how to respond to those who are different from us. Because those who are different from us often have a lot to teach us. How can we welcome others? How can we embrace the stranger? In what ways can we break down borders, rub shoulders and share grace with those who have previously been so far away from us?
Mass today is in St Paul’s at 10am and St Mary’s at 11am
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