Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Jeremiah
3:1-7; Matthew 15:21-28)
In today’s
first reading Jeremiah foresees a united Israel after centuries of
division. Solomon’s sons separated the
northern and southern kingdoms. The
lands were devastated by the invasions of first the Assyrians in the north and
then the Babylonians in the south. The
gospel indicates how Jesus sees himself bringing the two parts of the ancient
kingdom together.
A
descendant of David of the southern kingdom but raised in Galilee of the
northern kingdom Jesus directs himself to the reunification of both. From today’s gospel he does not want to
complicate his mission by going out to gentiles. When the Canaanite woman asks a favor, he at
first refuses to cross the boundary.
Then he realizes that faith in God and not accidents of geography or
history is the determining factor in what makes a true Israelite. Quite willingly, then, he ministers to the
needs of the woman.
The concept
of Israel with its twelve tribes has been fundamental to the work of the
Church. But the Church has never
excluded anyone from the New Israel led by the twelve apostles. Rather it has embraced all those with faith
in Jesus as the Son of God. All of us
are included in the legacy. All of us
have had our sins forgiven to live in the hope of Jesus’ resurrection.
