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Master·evangeli.net

Today's Gospel + short theological explanation

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
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Gospel text (Mt 15:21-28): At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman... came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish."

Faith (Reasonable) and Reason (Openness)

EDITORIAL TEAM evangeli.net (based on texts by Benedict XVI) (Città del Vaticano, Vatican)

Today, a woman from Cana (without the Israeli faith) speaks to Jesus. We could reflect on the impossibility or uselessness of this dialogue; what can faith say about reason?, and reason say about faith? They have much to do with one another. The lady from Cana was open to what is transcendental; Jesus divinity is not without reason (He is Logos, the Reason that has created, made man).

When faith and reason are separated, both suffer. The difficulty to understand reason collides with the difficult to explain how intelligence emerged from turmoil (the incredible order there is in the cosmos, can it possibly be a result of chaos, or from disorder?). And faith/religion always need to be purified by reason to show its true face... it is not a belief for beliefs sake but a reasoned belief.

—Jesus: The woman from Cana says to you “hour is right”; you say to her: “your faith is strong”. Only faith and reason united can make the Truth shine.