First Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7

This a most interesting juxtaposition of verses, and the use of verse 1 as a preamble greatly strengthens the already powerful verses 6-7. Before we get to the disturbing challenge that ‘foreigners’ are going to be saved, we are reminded of the essence of the justice of YHWH, and the desire that we emulate it, or at least try. After this marker is put down, and the job of work that comes with it acknowledged, then comes a very bitter pill to swallow.



Second Reading: Romans 11:13-15, 29-32

Paul here shows his great and growing grasp of the universal church. One can hear his passion when he savours the integration of all that is 'gentile’ into the body of Christ. For Paul this is more than teaching, it is in fact a lived reality. Perhaps more than any other he can testify about the road from serious sin to salvation. He knows that deep joy of the return, and he wants it for all, including those termed outsides!



Gospel Reading: Matthew 15:21-28

What a scene! This poor demented woman is really in our face. To be honest, her shouting and screaming is too much. Thankfully the Lord is ignoring her. He is right. The best approach. The only approach. She is out of order. Dis-order. She is showing disrespect for the sacred. She has no sense of boundary. A foreigner who does not know her place. Jesus points all this out to her. Matter closed. Well not quite, she will not be silenced. There is no shaking her off. We cannot blame her. After all she has nothing to lose and everything to gain, and on top all that she has an
abundance of the one thing that never fails to impress Jesus. She has great faith.