HOMILY FOR 20th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME—A
MATTHEW WROTE HIS GOSPEL FOR CHRISTIANS WHO CAME FROM A JEWISH BACKGROUND AND THE JEWS’ STEREOTYPICAL PREJUDICE AGAINST GENTILES IS FULLY ON DISPLAY. BUT MATTHEW IS URGING HIS READERS TO GO BEYOND PREJUDICE AND TO BECOME CATHOLIC, CATHOLIC BOTH IN THE SMALL C AND THE CAPITAL C SENSE.
THE JEWS’ PREJUDICE IS DEEP-ROOTED. THE LOCAL GENTILES WERE THE ONES WHO HAD TO BE FOUGHT TO ACHIEVE THE PROMISED LAND. THOSE PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE FOREBEARERS OF THE WOMAN IN TODAY’S GOSPEL, DID CONTEST CONTROL OF THE LAND WITH THE JEWS BUT HAD THEIR OWN GODS AND GENERALLY LEFT THE JEWISH RELIGIOUS PRACTICES ALONE.
WHAT WAS REALLY MORE IMPORTANT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PREJUDICE AGAINST GENTILES WAS THE INFLUENCE OF THE ALEXANDER THE GREAT’S GREEK PUPPET KINGS. THEY NOT ONLY RULED THE LAND BUT ALSO TRIED TO STAMP OUT THE JEWS RELIGIOUS PRACTICES. THAT WAS A DIRECT ATTACK ON JEWISH IDENTITY ITSELF. THE MACCABEAN REVOLT WAS A DIRECT OUTCOME OF THAT PRACTICE.
BUT MATTHEW IS SHOWING US THAT JESUS IS MOVING BEYOND PREJUDICE TO AN INCLUSIVENESS WHERE FAITH, STRONG FAITH AS THE WOMAN EXEMPLIFIED, IS THE MARK OF THE NEW CHOSEN PEOPLE, NOT BIRTH. JUST A WORD ABOUT HER FAITH. NOT ONLY DID THE JEWS HATE THE TYRENIANS, THE ENMITY WAS MUTUAL. SO IMAGINE THE FAITH THE WOMAN HAD TO GO TO AN ENEMY OF HER PEOPLE TO ASK FOR HELP. SHE ALSO, BY THE WAY, HAD A QUICK WIT AND WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THE GOSPELS TO OUT-DEBATE JESUS!
MATTHEW’S GOSPEL BEGINS THAT LESSON OF INCLUSIVENESS IN THE VERY FIRST CHAPTER. CHAPTER 1 IS A CHAPTER OF ‘BEGATS” DETAILING JESUS’ LINEAGE. IT’S THE TYPE OF READING THAT MAKES YOU SKIP VERY QUICKLY TO CHAPTER TWO. BUT A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THOSE BEGATS IS REALLY EYE-OPENING. THREE QUICK POINTS ABOUT THEM. FIRST, THE LINEAGE INCLUDES WOMEN WHICH IS UNHEARD OF IN THOSE DAYS AND IT ALSO INCLUDES SOME VERY GREAT SINNERS WHICH IS JUST AS UNHEARD OF. EVEN BEYOND THAT IT EVEN MENTIONS RUTH WHO WAS NOT JEWISH. THE MESSAGE OF COURSE IS THAT JESUS HAS NOT COME JUST TO SAVE JEWISH MALES WHO ARE NOT SINNERS BUT TO SAVE US ALL NO MATTER WHAT LABELS DESCRIBE US. HE CAME TO FORM THE CATHOLIC, THE UNIVERSAL, CHURCH.
MANY OF US WILL REMEMBER FROM OUR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION THAT THE CHURCH JESUS FOUNDED, THE CHURCH OF WHICH WE ARE MEMBERS, CAN BE DISCRIBED AS HAVING 4 MARKS: OUR CHURCH IS ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC. MATTHEW IS DOING US THE FAVOR OF RELATING JESUS TEACHING ABOUT THE CATHOLIC NATURE OF HIS CHURCH.
B UT CATHOLIC IN A DOUBLE SENSE. WE SAY OUR CHURCH IS CATHOLIC WITH A CAPITOL C B ECAUSE CHRIST IS PRESENT IN IT IN MANY WAYS. HERE THIS MORNING CHRIST IS PRESENT IN SACRED SCRIPTURE, IN THE EUCHARIST AND IS US GATHERED HERE AS HIS BODY. BUT WE ALSO SAY OUR CHURCH IS CATHOLIC WITH A SMALL C AND BY THAT WE MEAN IT IS UNIVERSAL, SENT BY CHRIST TO ALL PEOPLES IN ALL PLACES.
EVEN CHRISTIANS WHO ARE NOT CATHOLIC SHARE IN THE BLESSINGS PROVIDED BY OUR CHURCH ALTHOUGH IN AN IMPERFECT WAY. MANY CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHOSE MEMBERS ARE PROPERLY BAPTIZED CHRISTIANS AND ARE STRIVING TO BE GOOD DISCIPLES, DO SO AT A DISADVANTAGE SINCE THEY DO NOT SHARE IN THE FULLNESS OF THE MEANS OF SALVATION CHRIST GAVE TO OUR CHURCH. THE LACK OF THE EUCHARIST IS PROBABLY THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THAT LOSS.
EVEN NONCHRISTIAN RELIGIONS, BUT ESPECIALLY JUDAISM, SHARE TO SOME DEGREE IN THE BENEFITS CHRIST CONFERRED ON HIS CHURCH, B UT AGAIN TO AN IMPERFECT DEGREE SINCE THE OLD COVENANT IS NOT THE NEW COVENANT. ISLAM, PROFESSING THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM, WOULD BE ALSO FALL IN THIS CATEGORY BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT OF THE JEWISH FAITH.
THE CHURCH EVEN RECOGNIZES OTHER RELIGIONS THAT HONESTLY SEARCH FOR GOD AND SEES THEIR STRUGGLE TO FIND THE TRUTH. THE CHURCH CONSIDERS THE IMPERFECT GOODNESS AND TRUTH THAT THESE RELIGIONS HAVE IDENTIFIED AS A BASIC PREPARATION FOR THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.
HOWEVER, WELL-MEANING THESE OTHER RELIGIONS MIGHT BE, THERE IS STILL NO SALVATION OUTSIDE THE CHURCH. BUT THAT STATEMENT MUST BE PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD. IN ORDER TO BE DENIED SALVATION, A NONCATHOLIC MUST FIRST KNOW THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS FOUNDED AS NECESSARY BY GOD THROUGH CHRIST AND THEN WILLFULLY REFUSE TO JOIN OR WILLFULLY LEAVE. SUCH PEOPLE ARE IN THE GREATEST DANGER.
BUT THOSE WHO THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN DO NOT KNOW OR UNDERSTAND THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH BUT WHO SEEK GOD WITH THEIR WHOLE HEART AS BEST THEY CAN MAY ACHIEVE SALVATION WITHOUT BELONGING TO ANY CHRISTIAN CHURCH. THEY MAY NOT BE MEMBERS OF OUR CHURCH BUT THEY WOULD BE IF THEY KNEW OF THE TRUTH OUR CHURCH HOLDS. THEY HAVE THE UNCONSCIOUS DESIRE TO BE CHRISTIANS BUT HAVE NO CONSCIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH.
THAT LAST POINT LEADS RIGHT BACK TO US. GOD WILLS THE SALVATION OF EVERYONE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH AND THERE ARE MANY THIRSTING FOR THAT TRUTH. BUT TRUTH NEEDS CONVEYING. JESUS WAS SENT TO CONVEY THAT TRUTH AND IN TURN HE CREATED THE CHURCH TO CONTINUE HIS WORK. SINCE WE ARE THE CHURCH, WE MUST HAVE A DEEP AND ACTIVE MISSIONARY MOTIVATION.
NOW NOT ALL OF US CAN GO TO REMOTE PARTS OF THE WORLD BRINGING THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL. FAMILIES, JOBS AND OTHER CONCERNS CAN INTRUDE. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE ARE OFF THE HOOK. WE CAN BE MISSIONARIES RIGHT HERE IN JONESBORO.
FOR EXAMPLE, DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN GOD’S TRUTH AND THE CHURCH? REFER THEM TO OUR OCIA PROGRAM WHICH WILL BE KICKING OFF IN JIUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS. IF YOU DON’T KNOW SOMEONE RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN FULFILL YOUR MISSIONARY DUTY BY VOLUNTEERING TO BE A SPONSOR FOR THE PROGRAM. DO YOU HAVE THE GIFT OF TEACHING? SIGN UP TO TEACH OUR OWN CHILDREN GOD’S TRUTH THROUGH PARTICIPATING IN OUR YOUTH PROGRAMS. AND PRAYER FOR THE CONVERSION OF UNBELIEVERS IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING ALL OF US CAN DO NO MATTER WHAT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.
EVEN IF YOU CAN’T TAKE ON ANY OF THOSE ACTIVITIES OR EVEN IF YOU CAN, ALL OF US ARE CALLED TO BE MISSIONARIES IN ANOTHER WAY. ALL OF US ARE CALLED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT PROVIDES TO OTHERS A LIVING EXAMPLE OF GOD’S TRUTH. CHRIST CAN’T WALK THE EARTH RIGHT NOW AS HE DID 2000 YEARS AGO. BUT WE CAN.