20th Sunday of Ordinary Time [A]

 


20TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A]


We will begin by referencing a 1933 film titled King Kong.  It’s regarded by many as the greatest monster movie of all time. Kong, a giant gorilla, lives on a remote island—an island that bears the shape of a skull. The island seems to have been untouched by the hand of time; the conditions are essentially prehistoric. It’s an isolated world, but it’s not going to remain that way: visitors are arriving from North America. They set about launching  an exploratory mission and this leads them into an encounter with the menacing Kong.


For the most part, it’s a rather hostile encounter. However, a new sensation takes over as Kong gets a closer look at Fay Wray, a celebrity who has been invited to accompany the expedition. Put yourself in Kong’s position: nothing could have prepared you for this. You can only marvel at the sight of her fair complexion, the golden waves of her hair, her sky-blue eyes, and the overall delicacy of her features. Up to this point, the concept of beauty was completely lost on you. You never even considered that there was such a thing as beauty. Now all that has changed. Evidently, as a phenomenon, you’ll know it once you have seen it. And as a result, Fay Wray becomes your world—she becomes THE objective of all objectives. From this stage forward, you won’t allow anything to come between you and your objective. 


So where do we go from here? Perhaps we can shift our focus away from Skull Island. It might be a suitable time to place ourselves in the ancient Near East, within a territory located just beyond the northern fringes of Galilee. You are no longer putting yourself in Kong’s position; rather, you are playing the role of a mother—a Gentile mother—a concerned  mother. The concern is that your daughter has been suffering with a demonic affliction. Who can you call upon? Where can you turn? When you do turn to the Jewish Messiah, it’s not because you’re being influenced by the prophet Isaiah’s pro-Gentile message (see Isaiah 56:1-7). And it’s not because you are being inspired by the pro-Gentile writings of Saint Paul (see Romans 11:13-28). You have no familiarity with these individuals, or with their writings. 


You call upon Jesus because you “know” that he is The Solution. Kong “knows” beauty when he sees it, without the benefit of prior learning. Likewise, you “know” Salvation  without the benefit of prophetic exhortations or apostolic dissertations. Jesus steps into your midst and in the process he literally “becomes” your objective. Jesus is your objective, and nothing is going to come between you and your objective. You pay no attention to the disciples and their derisive remarks (Matt. 15:23). You’re not dissuaded when Jesus chooses to ignore you. When he finally speaks, you are being referred to as an “outsider”---and he even compares you to a dog (15:26)!! Nevertheless, you stay the course. You are like Kong. He is fixed on Fay Wray; you’re fixed on Jesus. 


And yet, you’re not entirely like Kong. His story will unravel, taking on the framework of a tragedy. By pursuing Fay Wray, Kong sets the stage for his own self-destruction. Meanwhile, if you are the unnamed woman from Matthew fifteen, you will find yourself being treated to a much happier outcome. Identifying Jesus as your primary objective doesn’t necessarily mean an easy way of life for you. You will squirm, at times—just as the Canaanite Woman undoubtedly was squirming during those early high-pressured moments with Jesus. But her frown will soon be replaced with a smile. It’s all about persevering, as she persevered. The blessings will outnumber the sorrows, if you commit yourself to imitating the [holy] example presented in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter fifteen. 

Popular posts from this blog

Sermon For Trinity Sunday

Image
  TRINITY SUNDAY [C] We are prepared to observe Trinity Sunday. But are we prepared to go that extra step? Are we prepared to actually celebrate the Trinity? It’s expected of us. But it’s not easy, getting excited about the Trinity. It’s not just a doctrine; it’s something dense; it’s a profound mystery. How do you penetrate the mystery of one God being revealed in a Trinity of three Persons? Perhaps we should begin by picking up a Bible.  Now that your Bible is open, you find yourself being introduced to our God; you’re being introduced to him in the Book of Genesis. You will notice right away that he is a rather busy God. Busy in what way? He’s being an artist. He’s doing what artists typically do: he’s creating. He stands back, he admires his creation, and he pronounces it as “good” (Gen. 1:31). This episode doesn’t resolve all of your questions, but at least it’s a start.  Later on in the Bible, we will arrive at a particular juncture. St. Paul refers to it as “the ...
Read more

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time [C]

Image
  28TH SUNDAY, ORDINARY TIME [C] As you reflect upon the readings this weekend, you may find yourself wondering about the Israelites: Do they deserve all of this special attention? Do they deserve to be saved? The inclination is to answer in the negative. After all, here they are, being out-performed by those  who would rate as “foreigners.”  Naaman exemplifies the notion of gratitude and also the notion of piety (see 2nd Kings 5:1-17). And yet, he’s not an Israelite; he’s a general in the Syrian army. Then we see what takes place in this passage from St. Luke: ten lepers have been cured, but only one comes back to express gratitude—and he happens to be a Samaritan (17:11-19).  It leaves you to wonder about the Israelite population. Perhaps there ought to be a shift. Rather than concentrate on the Israelites, the Lord might want to focus instead upon the people who really deserve to be saved. But then again, does anybody actually deserve to be saved? As far as St. P...
Read more

Second Sunday of Easter [C]

Image
  SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER [C] The Peter we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. We can say that, after a number of false starts, he is now beginning to blossom. If he comes into contact with you, then you will be able to expect a positive result. In fact, according to the Book of Acts, even if he walks past you, the effect of his shadow will produce a meaningful impact (5:15). If only you could have a St. Peter enter into your life. You’ll be satisfied even if he simply walks on by.  A vagrant finds himself being passed by. He is stationed at a street corner, selling flowers. Some of the pedestrians walk on by, refusing to offer anything in the way of acknowledgement. Others stop long enough to stuff a dollar or two into his donation jar, but they continue on, not bothering to take one of his flowers. The point comes, however, when an actual customer steps forward. It’s a businessman, who opens his wallet, deposits a sum of money, and then picks up one of the flowers. He a...
Read more