20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. By Tobe Eze

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

FIRST READING
Isaiah 56:1, 6—7

SECOND READING
Romans 11:13—15, 29—32

GOSPEL
Matthew 15:21—28

THEME: TRUST AND OBEY. DO NOT REACT TO EVERYTHING.

A man went home one day with a serious wound on his face because he was responding to what the vigilant group told him. He went to a ceremony and was coming home late. When he reached the vigilant group, they asked him, where he was coming from at that time of the night. He told them and they asked him to go. When he was about to go, one of them said, odika onwere nwanyi ya na ya mekoro n' abalia (it seems like he had something with a woman this night). Instead of going, he came back to ask the man to repeat what he said. The vigilant man repeated it three times and the man went fighting. During the fight he was wounded on the face with a log of wood. Something he would have avoided. Had it been he obeyed and went home, he would have not sustained any scratch.

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As our God is a just God, he does to the black what he does to the white, tall to the short, fat to the slim and so on. The only thing is to trust and obey his dictates. Whether Jews or Gentiles, any who obeys him he will bless. This is gotten from the first reading. At the end of the first reading, he said again that his house is a house of prayer. How do we treat the house of the Lord? People exchange pleasantries in house of the Lord as if it is a market place. When someone comes into the Church even if mass is going on, they will reduce their voices to welcome the person. Others discuss what concerns them in their pews. They chat as if nothing is happening. His house is a house of prayer not a place of discussion or greeting ground. Trust and obey so that you will reap more.

In the Gospel, we can see many examples the woman of Samaria showed us. One, she met the right person, two, she went straight to make her request, three, she did that with humility, four, even when insulted, she did not react. These four things are what we should imitate from the woman.

1.       She met the right person. Sometimes in life we leave the person who has offered everything to us and follow the ones that lead to doom. We leave Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and follow men and women of God around. Those we do not even know where their powers are from.

2.       She went straight to make her request. Some of us when we face God to ask for something, we jump from this intention to the other, or even like the Pharisee that went to the temple with the tax collector, justifying ourselves and condemning others.(Luke 18:9-14). Giving God reasons why he must bless us with that our intentions. Go straight because even before you ask, he has known your problems.

3.       She did that with and in humility. Some of us after discussing with our friends in the Church will turn and say to God, it is time to do something for me. Some are now even giving God mandate to bless them. Jesus settle me. Jesus must bless me today and many other arrogant words we use. Come to him in humility and he will hear you.

4.       Even when insulted, she did not react. This is where our theme came from. Jesus called the woman and her daughter dogs but she accepted it provided she gets what she was looking for. Ihe di mma adighi abia n' aka efu, aka aja aja n' ebuta onu manu manu. Try and adjust your comfortability to get what you want. Onye ocha kpoo mu ewu ma ya kwuo mu ugwom. Sometimes temptations come our way to make us stronger.

Let us not complain always but try hard in humility and love and it shall be well with us. Those who obey the Lord he will bless. Those who remained steadfast till the end will be crowned with the unfading crown of glory. Let us today trust and obey the word and not complain or react to every situation anyhow. THANKS AND HAPPY SUNDAY.