Sunday August 16th 2020

First Reading

God's Mercy on Israel
(Romans 11:1-2a)
I ask, then: Did God reject his own people? Certainly not!
I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 
​God has not rejected his people, whom he chose from the beginning.

(Verses 29-31 )
For God does not change his mind about whom he chooses and blesses. 
As for you Gentiles, you disobeyed God in the past;
but now you have received God's mercy because the Jews were disobedient. 
In the same way, because of the mercy that you have received,
the Jews now disobey God, in order that they also may now receive God's mercy. 

Second Reading
(Matthew 15:21-28)

A Woman's Faith
(also in Mark 7.24-30)

Jesus left that place and went off to the territory near the cities of Tyre and Sidon. 
A Canaanite woman who lived in that region came to him.
​
“Son of David!” she cried out. “Have mercy on me, sir!
My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition.”
But Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples came to him and begged him,
“Send her away! She is following us and making all this noise!”
Then Jesus replied,
“I have been sent only to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.”
At this the woman came and fell at his feet.
“Help me, sir!” she said.
Jesus answered,
“It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”
“That's true, sir,” she answered,
“but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their masters' table.”
So Jesus answered her,
“You are a woman of great faith! What you want will be done for you.”

And at that very moment her daughter was healed.