20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: God’s Universal Salvation and Our Response

Readings: Is 56:1, 6–7; Rom 11:13–15, 29–32; Mt 15:21–28

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this twentieth Sunday, the Church reminds us that God’s salvation is universal. His love, kindness, and mercy are offered to all humanity because God is Father of all. He extends His invitation to every person—saints and sinners, tall and short, rich and poor, people of every colour, nation, and background. However, the Church also teaches, through the readings of this Sunday, that this invitation is accepted only through faith and by living out the demands of that faith in every circumstance of life.

All three readings today highlight different aspects of how we respond to God’s universal invitation.

In the first reading, through Isaiah, God steps beyond Israel’s narrow religious boundaries and announces that He will welcome foreigners to His holy mountain. The Israelites believed that salvation was limited to the twelve tribes of Israel and that foreigners would be rejected because of their beliefs. Yet God declares that foreigners who keep His covenant, honour the Sabbath, and love His name will be brought into His house of prayer. This passage encourages those who feel unworthy to approach God, reminding them that there is room for everyone in His house. They need only come into His presence, and He will purify them through the sacrament of confession.

This passage also teaches all of us who were once outside the covenant that, to partake in the eternal banquet on the holy mountain, we must live according to God’s covenant—loving and worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. It is true that God is loving and merciful, but His mercy always calls for conversion.

Unfortunately, in our world today, many invoke God’s mercy without making any effort to live according to His commandments. Many no longer wish to make personal efforts to shape their lives according to God’s ways. They simply say that God is loving and merciful. Indeed, He is. But today’s first reading reminds us that the lives of those who claim God’s mercy must reflect who God is and what He commands. Belief in God’s mercy must be accompanied by true conversion—allowing His love and kindness to transform our actions. Whoever claims God’s mercy must also embrace His way of life.

Furthermore, this first reading teaches us not to close the doors of God’s house to those who struggle morally or spiritually—our brothers and sisters who do not accept our faith. It challenges us to reject all forms of discrimination: in the Church, in our families, and in society. We must treat everyone with love, kindness, and fairness, even when they do not agree with us or accept our faith. We must embrace the universality of God’s love. Whoever discriminates cannot truly be called a child of God.

In the second reading, St Paul addresses the Roman Christians—foreigners who were once outside the covenant. He tells them that through obedience they have gained a place before God, while the Jews, the original heirs of the promises, lost their place through disobedience. Paul warns that the Romans too will lose their position if they fall into disobedience. This is a powerful lesson for us who have been baptized and made heirs of God’s kingdom: whenever we depart from the path of righteousness, we lose our claim to God’s blessings and mercy.

In the Gospel, at first glance Jesus seems to insult the Canaanite woman by ignoring her and reminding her of how the Jews viewed her people. But His final words reveal the purpose of the encounter. He said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” It was not an insult but a test—a way to show the disciples that faith, not ethnicity, grants access to God’s mercy. Through her perseverance, the woman teaches us that faith must be expressed in action. Her refusal to be discouraged by silence, rejection, or cultural prejudice is a model for us. We too attract God’s mercy by refusing to be distracted by insults, persecution, temptations, or anything that leads us away from God.

Finally, the woman’s persistence teaches us not to interpret God’s silence as a refusal whenever we pray. Perseverance must never be lacking in our prayer.

Peace be with you.

Rev. Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 20^TH SUNDAY, YEAR A: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: WHAT DO YOU ATTRACT TO YOUR HOME?

(Mathew 15:21-28)

In today's Gospel Reading, we witnessed the Canaanite woman crying and following Jesus up and down, She cries out from the depth of her heart. She weeps bitterly for her daughter. She is really concerned and troubled about her plight. She must have suffered sleepless nights because of this child. She is just like some of our mothers who think round the clock for the upkeep of their family.

They think on how to provide next day's meals, how to pay fees for the children, This woman represent the men and women who are bothered about how to pay house rents, crying for one problem or the other. What are you crying for ? What do you weep about? Are those things worth weeping for? The woman in today's Gospel Reading reminds us of what we should weep for, how we ought to weep, before whom we should weep and what we should attract to our family and how to do the attraction.

 

CRY FOR DIVINE MERCY

This woman cried out for the mercy of God. It has dawned on her that men fail. No one else but God can help her. Even the gods of the Canaanites must have failed her. She turned to the son of David, The merciful one who will not leave his people at the mercy of any Goliath. Could it be that you are passing through any misfortune on account of your carelessness, wickedness, mistakes or misbehaviours? Call on the mercy of God. Turn to him and turn a new leaf. Dear father or mother, cry for Divine Mercy, Dear people of God kneel and weep for the evils and atrocities you have   committed. Weep for the many times you looked for wealth, power, connection, fame etc wrongly. Do restitution oh politicians. Go back to God learn from this woman today, she may have gone to wrong places in search of deliverance. where have you gone to while looking for progress and prosperity? Pray God to forgive you and repent. Ask for forgiveness for not dedicating your family to God. Ask for forgiveness for encouraging your children to take every other thing in life seriously except God. Ask for forgiveness for creating avenues through which demons possessed your children.

 

 WEEP FOR THE DEMONIC POSSESSIONS

The woman today in the gospel prayed Jesus to come to her aid with regard to the daughter possessed by the demon.

What are the powers operating in you, in your family and in our society today? Expose the demons to Jesus, report their cases to Jesus with prayers. Cry for alcoholic possession, weep for sugar mummy/daddy possession, weep for drug abuse possessions, weep for lazy/gossip possession, weep for the social media possession, of your family. Are you even concerned that your children can no longer talk with you without chatting on phone for 10 minutes? Does it bother you that your children can no longer read their books, Bible or even pray. They are possessed by spirits that shouldn't have possessed them. They have expelled Jesus from their lives.

Take them to Jesus through counselling, prayers, interactions, practice of virtues e t c

That was what the Canaanite woman did today. Can you tell Jesus to deliver you and your family from every power distracting you today.

 

Attract with faith

Many attract curses for their children, some attract hatred to their homes, others attract failure to the generation. The woman today in the gospel attracted healing, deliverance, goodness, fulfilment of desires to her family. she indeed attracted Jesus Himself the author of all that is good to her household.

Faith in God brings in a lot of good things to our lives, homes and society. Can we employ genuine faith in our dealings with God and people so as to introduce nothing but favours into our lives?

Let's use the weapon of faith to bring in peace, progress, happiness and love.

Believe in God while making your sincere effort even when it seems the Lord is far, let your faith be intact, you will surely attract God. But once you lose your faith, you have lost it all.

 

May the faith we have in Jesus be like that of the Canaanite woman that we may hear Jesus speaking to us in our various circumstances.

"Let it be done for you as you desire"

May your good heart desires come to you and may you be set free from every demonic possession manipulating you. May our society be miraculously delivered by God through Christ our Lord.

Amen

 

HAPPY SUNDAY (20th Sunday, Ordinary Time, Yr A)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh