How Not to Read the Story of the Syrophoenician Woman
Sermons
•
15m
Friends, for this Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear the story of the Syrophoenician woman. Jesus famously puts off this woman—first by ignoring her, then by dismissing her, and finally by insulting her—and she offers one of the most famous comebacks in literary history. A common reading of this story is that Jesus is cranky from a tough day of ministry, and a plucky woman from Syrophoenicia straightens him out. But this turns Jesus into a sinner—and the whole structure of Christianity falls apart. The Church Fathers had a much better, more convincing, and spiritually more helpful interpretation.
Mass Readings:
Reading 1 — Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Psalm — Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
Reading 2 — Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Gospel — Matthew 15:21-28
——VIDEO LINKS———
The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist: https://youtu.be/UzCPu_lEhe8
The Glorious Mysteries: https://youtu.be/WoJ1hQTVdSo
A Declaration of Dependence on God | Rededicate 250 Reflection: https://youtu.be/y0R3rM2j92U
———WATCH———
Subscribe to this Channel: https://bit.ly/31LV1sn
Word on Fire Institute Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@word-on-fire
Word on Fire en Español Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@WOF-ES
———WORD ON FIRE———
Word on Fire: https://www.wordonfire.org/
Word on Fire Español: https://www.wordonfire.org/es/
FREE Daily Gospel Reflections (English or Español): https://dailycatholicgospel.com/
———WORD ON FIRE INSTITUTE———
Join Bishop Barron and over 20,000 evangelists inside the Word on Fire Institute at https://wordonfire.institute
———SOCIAL MEDIA———
Bishop Barron Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Sn2XgD
Bishop Barron Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Sltef5
Bishop Barron Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Hkz6yQ
Word on Fire Instagram: https://bit.ly/39sGNyZ
Word on Fire Facebook: https://bit.ly/2HmpPpW
Word on Fire Twitter: https://bit.ly/2UKO49h
Word on Fire en Español Instagram: https://bit.ly/38mqofD
Word on Fire en Español Facebook: https://bit.ly/2SlthaL
Word on Fire en Español Twitter: https://bit.ly/38n3VPt
———SUPPORT WORD ON FIRE———
Help Bishop Barron continue to produce videos like this: https://bit.ly/3QSvGpo
Word on Fire Store: https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/
Up Next in Sermons
-
You Belong to the Lord
Friends, our Gospel for this Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time is the familiar story of Peter asking the Lord how many times he should forgive his brother: “As many as seven times?” Jesus responds, “Not seven times but seventy-seven times.” I want to get at this passage by looking at the seco...
-
Love God—Not His Benefits
Friends for this Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear a story from Jesus that tends to bother everybody: the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. We’re meant to hear our own voices in the complaint of these workers. Dealing with God, we often think things are unfair. Why does he do w...
-
The Hubris of Man, the Humility of God
