Brothers and Sisters,

We have been making our journey with Jesus through the Gospel of Mathew. We heard Jesus calling all his followers to nurture a positive attitude and bless the world in a spirit of hospitality, fidelity, humility, generosity, gentleness, and patience. We heard Jesus calling us to search and discover the kingdom of God, the treasure within us and among us. Last Sunday, we found Jesus coming to the frightened disciples on troubled waters when the wind was contrary.

Today, on this twentieth Sunday in ordinary time, all our Scripture readings as well as the Responsorial Psalm speak of the universal nature of God’s love and the salvation offered to all people. The prophet Isaiah (first reading) speaks of the house of God as a house of prayer for all peoples. The Psalmist (today’s responsorial - Psalm 67) calls all peoples and nations to praise God. Paul explains that the salvation offered first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles is still available to all people because of God’s mercy (the second reading). The Gospel reading tells us the story of Jesus healing the daughter of a Gentile woman.

We live in a world where conflicts, competitions, divisions, separations, jealousies, and hatred exist between political and social organizations and religion and religious organization, even among Christian denominations. Such realities betray the word religion itself. Religion stands for harmony, integrity, unity, and wholeness. The word religion comes from the Latin word, “re-ligare” – “re-bind or re-connect”. Religion is supposed to be a binding force, a healing power, and a channel of harmony and peace. We live in a broken world. Religion is supposed to bring healing for the broken.

Religion is supposed to re-establish our connection with God and one another. We may have differences of beliefs, doctrines, liturgies, prayer and worship forms and other religious practices. Religion must transcend these differences and nurture harmony and unity. Religion is about harmony, integrity, unity, and wholeness and not uniformity. Differences in religious beliefs and practices should help us appreciate the many ways our loving God heals our brokenness and holds us together.

We need to pull down our walls of separation and share in the universality of God’s love. Very often we set up walls which separate us from God and from one another. Today’s Gospel reminds us that God’s love and mercy are extended to all who call on Him in Faith and trust, no matter who they are. God’s care extends beyond the bounds of race and nation to the hearts of all who live, and God’s House should become a House of Prayer for all peoples.

To read more of these reflections, please click on the link below…