[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, August 16, 2026, the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
This week's episode is entitled: The Outsiders, because all of the readings deal with Gentiles, foreigners, outsiders… and they remind us that all people from all nations always had a part in God's plan for the salvation of the world.
As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
The entire Old Testament tells the story of God and his Chosen People: the Hebrews, the Israelites, the Jews. And somehow, we forget that all the rest of us are Gentiles! We are the foreigners, but luckily the Old Testament also says that God always had a place for us in his plan, that he would never exclude anyone. Unfortunately, we do exclude others… other races, other nationalities, other religions, other political parties… and justify the hatred and prejudice we harbor toward them because, after all, they're outsiders. We need to stop that! Instead of judging others, we need to start listening to them, we need to love and care for everyone as Jesus taught us to do, or we may find that we are the ones excluded from the kingdom. So, how do we set aside our bad behaviors, so that we can be caring, just, righteous, and inclusive?
Let's begin in prayer:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, help us to see every person as you see them: precious, valued and cherished, so that we can love everyone as you love them. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:02:18] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures. Our Gospel this week is from Matthew 15: 21-28.
“[At that time,] Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Si’don. And behold, a Canaanite woman from the region came out and cried, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.’ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she is crying after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ And he answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.
[00:03:32] Between last week's passage and this week's, we've made a fairly significant jump in the text… from the middle of chapter 14 to the middle of chapter 15, where we encounter a story that often troubles us… the story of the Canaanite woman - at least that is what Matthew calls her. Mark calls her the Syrophoenician woman… and this story is only found in those two Gospels.
[00:03:59] Regardless of how we identify her, we are disturbed by what we assume is unnecessary callousness and cruelty on the part of Jesus and his disciples. So, let's see if we can reach a better understanding of this passage…
[00:04:18] “[At that time,]”
In the text of the Bible, the passage begins: “Then Jesus went from that place” but when this passage was chosen for the Lectionary, rather than trying to explain everything that happened between the end of last week's passage (where Jesus walked on water) and the beginning of this passage (when he withdraws to Tyre and Sidon), the Lectionary passage simply begins: “At that time,” and we are then told…
“Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Si’don.”
Now, since the Lectionary doesn't provide us context here, I'll try to flesh out the details. After Jesus calmed the storm, he and his disciples continued across the Sea of Galilee to the town of Gennesaret, where he was healing the sick. I will include a map on my Instagram post this week showing the locations of these various places and towns so that hopefully the geography will make a little bit more sense to us.
[00:05:20] While Jesus was in Gennesaret, he was confronted by Scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem. After that contentious altercation, Jesus decides to get out of Dodge - so to speak - and goes to the district of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile area on the Mediterranean coast in what would be present day Lebanon. “
“And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David.’”
Okay, we're at a bit of a disadvantage here because we didn't hear the verses where the Scribes and the Pharisees confronted Jesus, we didn't hear them challenge his authority, so we don't realize - at first - just how greatly the Canaanite woman's reaction to Jesus stands in contrast to the attitude of the Scribes and the Pharisees. The Scribes and the Pharisees are Jews, subjects of God's Covenant - they study it, they teach others about it, they understand it, and are supposed to live according to its precepts. This Gentile woman has no part in that Covenant relationship and yet she approaches Jesus with great faith and asks for his mercy - an act of humility and penitence. The Scribes and Pharisees should have been able to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah, but they failed to do so, while this Gentile - whose ancestors, by the way, would have been enemies of King David - this Gentile acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Son of David. Again, by not hearing those verses, we miss the true import of this woman's declaration.
[00:07:19] After she declares her faith in Jesus, after she asks for his mercy, she simply presents her problem to Jesus…
“my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.”
It seems to me that severely is an unnecessary descriptor. I don't think it was possible to be a little bit possessed by a demon in biblical times. But I think this woman is trying to indicate to Jesus how close she is to the end of her rope. And Jesus’ reputation as a healer has preceded him.
“But he did not answer her a word.”
That behavior from Jesus seems callous and out of character to us, but we need to understand the situation a bit better. It would have been unheard of for a Gentile woman to approach a Jewish man… that just wasn't done. And yet that's what happened. And when Jesus doesn't respond initially, he is - in a very real sense - testing her. He is testing her faith, testing her persistence.
[00:08:30] Is she really just seeking out the wonder worker, or does she truly believe the words she spoke to him? Does she really see him as the Messiah? And one other thing we should probably consider here is that Matthew was addressing a community that was primarily of Jewish heritage at the time this Gospel was written… Jews that converted to Christianity were reluctant to accept Gentiles into their midst… and acceptance of Gentiles created a major controversy in the early Church. That was in fact the whole point of the Council of Jerusalem in the 1st century - and we read about that in Acts 15.
“And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she is crying after us.’”
In other words, the disciples want nothing to do with Gentiles - in general - and they have no patience for this woman in particular. She is causing a scene, and they want nothing to do with it!
“He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”
If we think back to Matthew 10, we remember that Jesus sent his disciples out on mission, instructing them at that time to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. So, this message is not new for Jesus. And this Gentile woman was not entitled to receive any of the benefits of the original Covenant. In John's Gospel, Jesus says to another Gentile woman, “salvation is from the Jews” and not only is salvation from the Jews through Jesus, but salvation is offered first to the Jews by Jesus… the kingdom is offered first to the Jews.
“But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’”
This Gentile woman, who has no claim on the Covenant God made with his Chosen People, adopts an attitude of worship by kneeling before Jesus… she addresses him again as Lord, and she makes her second appeal to him. Her first appeal assumed that Jesus would understand she was asking for help and provide it. This time she takes no chances and asks directly for his help.
“And he answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.’”
Again, this behavior always seems so out of character to us. We have to understand, however, that Jesus is not talking about domesticated animals - he's not talking about a family's beloved pet dog! In Jesus’ time, dogs were wild scavengers that fed on the carcasses of dead animals, making them ritually unclean. Gentiles, in general, were seen as being ritually unclean. Jesus is pointing out to this woman that she too is ritually unclean. And by “the children's bread” Jesus means his own ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing… that his ministry is meant, at least at this point in time, primarily for the Jewish people and not for the Gentiles.
[00:12:25] And while Jesus had healed Gentiles previously in Matthew's Gospel, it was always done in Jewish territory. But that's not the case this time. Jesus is in Gentile territory.
“She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.’”
That is a brilliant response!
[00:12:48] Notice first of all, that despite Gentiles, Jesus' dismissal of her, she is still respectful... she still addresses him as Lord. Then she subtly reminds Jesus of those rare instances where people who were very wealthy did, in fact, domesticate certain dogs and trained them to keep private homes free from pests like mice and rats. So, it was not totally unheard of for a presumably unclean animal to have access to all the goodness present in a Jewish household. And while she is comparing the Covenant with great wealth - which it certainly was, although it wasn't always recognized or treasured as such by the Jewish people - but she is also suggesting that a few blessings of the Covenant could certainly spill over and benefit non-Jews, which was a sentiment expressed over and over again by prophets in the Old Testament. And remember, this is her third appeal to Jesus… this is the third time she addressed him as Lord, the third time she asked - directly or indirectly - for his help. She has demonstrated faith, humility, and perseverance - she passed a test she didn't even know she was taking! And that last statement of hers acknowledges that she has no claim on the God of Israel or on his Messiah, but that God's mercy is inexhaustible and can, therefore, be shared even with Gentiles.
[00:14:36] “Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith!’”
[00:14:43] Jesus’ test has prepared this Gentile woman to understand just how great her faith really is, and has prepared her to receive the gift she really wants - the reward of her faith.
“‘Let it be done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.”
When we hear this passage, we often put ourselves squarely among the disciples… it doesn't even occur to us to identify with the Canaanite woman, and yet that is precisely where we belong in that passage! We are not Jews, and access to the benefits of the old Covenant are not ours by right of birth. And while it may have been quite common for Jews to avoid and exclude Gentiles in biblical times - to avoid ritual uncleanliness - God's promises were always meant to include Gentiles. And those promises are recorded throughout the Old Testament… from Genesis to Isaiah, from the Psalms to Malachi. But as Christians of Gentile heritage, we have no worries about becoming ritually unclean, we have no excuse to exclude anyone… any person or any group of people, from any race, religion, nationality, or political party. Jesus taught us to love others as he loves us… he said nothing about questioning them first. Jesus taught us to care for others, not hate them or judge them because of how they look or where they're from. It will not be easy to set aside our bad behaviors, but doing so will be necessary if we are to avoid being excluded from the place Jesus has prepared for us in his kingdom.
[00:16:54] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Isaiah 58: 1, 6-7.
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.
And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, every one who keeps the sabbath, and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.’”
This passage is from 3rd Isaiah (chapters 56 to 66), and it was written after the Babylonian Captivity. The author is addressing those exiles who have returned to a devastated land and are attempting the monumental task of rebuilding the temple. This part of 3rd Isaiah reminds the Israelites that God's Covenant involves justice… not only to the Israelites, not only to the poor, the widowed, and the orphaned, but to foreigners as well… to the Gentiles!
[00:18:30] So, let's listen to what God has to say through Isaiah…
“Thus says the LORD:”
If you paid attention to the citation for this passage, you noticed that it started with verse 1 and then skipped to verses 6 and 7. Verse 1, which begins: Thus says the LORD,” announces that everything that follows those words are God's own words conveyed by the prophet to the people.
[00:18:59] Oftentimes those words are actually inserted into a passage to provide context, but they actually begin this chapter so those who assembled the Lectionary simply used that verse to provide the proper context as the author intended.
The words that immediately follow that pronouncement are “Observe what is right, do what is just, for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed” and that those who do all of that will be “happy.”
Then verse 3, which we also do not hear, begins: “The foreigner joined to the LORD should not say, ‘The LORD will surely exclude me from his people’” and I include that verse because those words relate so closely to the theme of all of this week's readings… they all have to do with foreigners… and all of us are to treat everyone God created as God intended them to be treated, that no one is to be excluded. God loves every one of his creatures, all are precious and valued, and he expects us to follow his example. And because he expects us to follow his example, he gives us the love and the grace to do so. So, it seems like we should probably pay attention to that. However, the Lectionary actually skips over the verses I just mentioned and goes straight to the following:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.”
We need to be mindful that repetition was used by Old Testament authors as a means of adding emphasis. So, it's important for us - as we study this passage - to be aware that verse 6 (what we just heard) repeats the message of verse 1. The whole point of 3rd Isaiah doing that was to emphasize the importance of those words!
We don't hear it in this passage, yet that's how the Scripture was written… the prophet repeats himself for emphasis.
Verse 1 says: “Observe what is right, do what is just,” where verse 6 says: “Keep justice, and do righteousness”…
Verse 1 says: “for my salvation is about to come” and verse 6 says: “for soon my salvation will come” …
and finally, verse 1 says: “my justice, about to be revealed” where verse 6 says: “and my deliverance revealed.”
None of that is coincidental! All of it is very intentional!
God is telling his people they must remain faithful to the Covenant, but that they are not the only ones deserving of the blessings of Covenant fidelity. And when he says his deliverance will be revealed, he doesn't mean the exiles will return from Babylon… they've already returned! If we read the entire passage, we learn that salvation and deliverance will be revealed through proper worship on the Sabbath and appropriate reverence for God's temple as his dwelling place on earth. It means that the Sabbath is neither an opportunity to avoid doing work, nor is it an occasion to exclude others - to exclude outsiders! The Sabbath is an opportunity to worship properly in the house of the Lord, it is a time for spiritual, mental, and physical renewal… it is an occasion to demonstrate one's love for God, which pleases God… and it is a chance to show concern for outsiders in the midst of Israel.
[00:23:32] Because the Israelites should remember their time in exile - they know what it means to be outsiders - so they should be even kinder to the Gentiles in their midst.
“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,”
God is explaining that physical descent from a common ancestor is not as important as careful observance of his will. He is saying that foreigners - Gentiles - can make the choice to join themselves to the Lord… that they don't have to be of Jewish descent to be joined to the Lord. And look at the list of requirements that follow:
[00:24:25] “to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, every one who keeps the sabbath, and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—"
Those are the requirements that all Jews are supposed to observe, but don't always. God is saying just being Jewish is no longer sufficient. Or, to put it a bit differently… actions speak louder than - well, not words, but - heritage. Actions speak louder than heritage. Then God says…
“these I will bring to my holy mountain,”
God not only returned the exiles from Babylon, he not only brought his Chosen People back to the site where the temple should be, he is now calling all people to be part of his people… Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, slaves and landowners. Then God says he will…
[00:25:47] “make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;”
Again, regardless of their heritage!
[00:26:02] “for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
The entire Old Testament tells the story of God and his people; how he set apart Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants as his own Chosen People not solely for their own benefit, but to benefit the world, to bring blessings to the world. And we can never forget that the whole point of receiving God's blessings is to share them, not hoard them! The whole point of salvation is inclusion, not exclusion.
[00:26:54] So, we need to choose the path we will walk… will we exclude others and run the risk of being excluded ourselves? Or will we choose fidelity to God and share the blessings he generously bestows upon us with everyone else - no exceptions, no exclusions?
[00:27:22] That takes us to our Responsorial Psalm, which is Psalm 67, and the refrain is:
“O God; let all the peoples praise you!”
Just an FYI - in case you hear something different at your home parish this weekend. The Lectionary says: “Let all the nations praise you” but both the RSV and the Grail Psalter say: “Let all the peoples praise you.” I don't know what you'll hear, but either way you'll be prepared. And here are the verses:
“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.”
“Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.”
“Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! God has blessed us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!”
This Psalm is a Communal Prayer of Thanksgiving. The Psalmist expresses gratitude for God's many blessings and invites all nations - not just Israel - but all nations and all peoples to offer their praise to God. Since all nations benefit from God's blessings, all nations are therefore invited to offer rightful praise to God. Even this Psalm continues the theme of inclusivity that has been such an important part of all of our readings this week.
[00:30:09] And that takes us to our Second Reading, which is from
Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32.
“[Brothers and sisters:] I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may receive mercy. For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all.”
[00:30:09] Please understand that this is pure serendipity! We are a good part of the way through Romans… this is our 10th passage, we will only hear four more before we move on to Philippians in mid-September.
[00:30:21] We've learned a lot from Paul so far, and - as I said a few weeks ago - everything Paul says builds on what went before… but this part of Paul's letter is a bit different.
[00:30:33] This part of Paul's letter kind of does a sidestep. Remember, the Christian community in Rome was comprised of both Jewish and Gentile converts, and it appears that Paul has been addressing both Jews and Gentiles to this point. Now, however, Paul changes focus and says…
[Brothers and sisters:] I am speaking to you Gentiles.”
Meaning that Paul is now addressing the Gentile members of the community in Rome directly and specifically.
“Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles,”
[00:31:15] Paul (then called Saul) did encounter the Risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, but Jesus didn't tell Saul - at that time - that he was to minister to Gentiles… Paul learns that much later. And remember, in every new city, Paul always visited Jewish synagogues first.
[00:31:41] It was only after he was rejected by Jewish audiences and Jewish religious authorities that Paul turned to Gentile audiences. And another thing we need to keep in mind is that… Gentiles in Rome were, at that time, becoming prideful, conceited, as if they had somehow replaced Jews in the cosmic order. Paul says that - instead of assuming a position that God didn't intend, Gentile Christians in Rome should rejoice that they have received a sharing in Israel's spiritual blessings.
[00:32:23] And that message really does relate back to God's words spoken to the Jewish people through Isaiah in our First Reading. Neither Jews nor Gentiles have exclusive right to God's blessings or to the kingdom. Both are offered to all… both are to benefit all!
[00:32:47] Then Paul continues…
“I magnify my ministry in order to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them.”
In other words, Paul is making a big deal out of his ministry to the Gentiles so that his fellow Jews will feel like they are missing out. Who knew Paul was the first to utilize FOMO!
“For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world,”
Paul is saying that the Jews’ rejection of Jesus has been beneficial for the Gentiles… it has reconciled the world with God. And if that's what their rejection has accomplished, Paul asks…
“what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”
[00:33:38] Not just temporal earthly life, but eternal life. Paul means the resurrection not just of individual Jews, but of the entire nation of Israel.
“For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.”
Once God bestows his gifts upon us, he will never take them away - no matter how much we turn our backs on him or reject his gifts… gifts like grace, mercy, adoption, and charisms (and remember, charisms are those gifts given to us by God's Holy Spirit for the benefit of others).
[00:34:24] And the call of God changes us forever - through Baptism. The Sacrament of Baptism tells Satan and all the forces of evil that we belong to God - not to them. Our Baptism places upon our souls what the Church calls a character… which is a permanent, indelible, spiritual mark that identifies us as belonging to God and being configured to Jesus Christ, his Son. And, in case you don't know or don't remember, there are three Sacraments that confer a spiritual mark or character: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. And Paul tells us that both God's gift to us and his call of us are irrevocable… they will never be rescinded… so, no backsies!
“Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may receive mercy.”
This is one of Paul's statements that is quite difficult to parse out… and if you didn't understand it the first time through, or even the second time through, you're not alone!
So, let's break it down…
Paul is saying that Gentiles were disobedient to God out of unbelief… that because they did not believe in God, they could not be obedient. So: “just as you were once disobedient to God” - okay, hopefully that phrase now makes sense.
[00:36:16] Then Paul says: “but now have received mercy because of their disobedience” and that is pretty much where Paul starts to lose people. He means that because the Jewish people rejected Jesus, that rejection then allowed God's mercy to be extended to non-Jews… to the Gentiles. So, the Gentiles now have mercy because of the disobedience of the Jewish people. Okay, hopefully now that also makes sense.
But then Paul says: “they have now been disobedient” - and the word “now” lets us know that this statement is different from what Paul said before. So, the Jews rejected Jesus, to be sure, but they are also NOW rejecting the teaching of the Apostles, they are rejecting the teaching of Paul as he makes his way around the Mediterranean on his various Missionary Journeys. The Jews are rejecting the early Church, founded upon and led by Peter, they are rejecting Christianity - and that is what Paul means by they are “now” disobedient. Okay, hopefully everyone is still with me.
Then Paul finishes that sentence - and yes, it has all been one long sentence - with the following: “in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may receive mercy.” Paul is saying that everything that has happened has occurred according to God's plan… that the Jews rejected Jesus so that Jesus’ message and God's mercy would be extended to the Gentiles as well… that the Jews’ continued rejection of the preaching of the Apostles - all of the Apostles, including Paul - has led to God's mercy being bestowed upon all nations… and that God's mercy, given freely to all nations, will - finally and fully - bring the Jewish people back to a point where they will accept the Messiah, they will accept Jesus, and will therefore receive God's mercy. By the mercy shown to you (to Gentiles) they (the Jews) may also receive mercy. Hopefully, that entire sentence now makes sense.
And our passage concludes…
[00:39:04] “For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all.”
When Paul uses the word “disobedience” he means that God gives us free will… that he allows us to make our own choices - even if, and when, those choices lead us into sin. And God does that precisely so that he can give us his mercy… which we can never earn and which we will never deserve… but he bestows it upon us anyway because he loves us.
[00:39:51] We can love God because God first loved us… we can love others because God first loved us.
[00:40:03] Mercy, love, compassion, listening, inclusion… all of those qualities, and many more, belong to God and they are all behaviors that he taught us we should emulate.
So, when we are judgmental, hateful, indifferent, dismissive, and exclusionary… we are being purposely and willfully disobedient to God.
We have that right… we have free will… God will always allow us to make our own decisions, even if they lead us to sin, even if they separate us from him.
That's not what he wants, but it is what he will allow.
Which means in the end, it's up to us.
[00:41:02] It's up to us to stop judging and start listening, to stop hating and start loving, to stop excluding and start including every person, every race, every nationality, every political affiliation… it is up to us to see everyone as God sees them - as precious and valued… because if we don't, we may be the ones separated from God and excluded from the kingdom.
[00:41:42] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain and may he hold you safe and secure in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God Bless.
