RE News
Sacrament of First Reconciliation
We are very excited that the Sacrament of First Reconciliation is going ahead this term. The dates and specific details of the new program will be sent out in a hard copy letter and via email tomorrow. Any children who are eligible to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in Year 3 or above, are invited to join in this program. If your child is not currently in Year 3 and you wish for them to be involved could you please contact me at jacqueline.collins@cg.catholic.edu.au as soon as possible.
The main dates that you are asked to add to your calendar are the upcoming Parent Formation Evening on Monday 31st August at 6:30pm in the Sacred Heart Church. This change of venue is inline with the current COVID-19 protocols which we are directed by. Please note that this meeting is for parents only. If you require support with child minding please contact me via email to make suitable arrangements. Please note that there are some significant changes to the usual program this year (which will be explained further in the letter and in greater detail at the Parent Formation Evening).
The other important date to add to your calendar is the Sacrament of Reconciliation date on Wednesday 23rd August at 6:00pm in the Sacred Heart Church.
NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY by Mary Coloe PBVM
‘Yes Lord – BUT’
To understand this Sunday’s Gospel it is important to place it within its narrative context, within the structure of these recent Sunday readings.
Matt 14:13-21 – Feeding on the Western (Jewish) side of Lake Galilee (Mark 6:30-44)
Matt 14:22-35 – Miracle on the Sea (Mark 6:45-52)
Matt 15:21-28 – The Canaanite Woman (Mark 7:24:30)
Matt 15:29-31 – Jesus on the Eastern (Gentile) side, teaches the people (Mark 7:31-37)
Matt 15:32-39 – Feeding on the Eastern (Gentile) side (Mark 8:1-9)
Two Sunday’s ago we read the account of the first feeding miracle on the Jewish side of Lake Galilee. The words used in this episode are particularly Jewish and at the conclusion of the episode there are twelve baskets of leftovers. The miracle portrays the feeding of the Children of Israel as once they were fed by Moses in the Wilderness. Following this miracle Jesus crosses the Sea ‘to the other side’ (Matt 14:22) where the disciples experience difficulty.
In this weekend’s Gospel it is quite clear that Jesus has moved beyond the territory of the Jewish people, into the northern region of Tyre and Sidon. Here he encounters a Gentile woman – again very clearly identified as a Canaanite from that region. In Matthew this is the first explicit encounter with a non-Jew. From the evidence of the Gospels it seems that Jesus worked primarily within the land of Palestine and saw himself involved in a mission to the people of Israel. He rarely ventured beyond Israel to Gentiles.
When the Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter Jesus states his understanding of his mission, ‘only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’. He then continues, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ This harsh reprimand makes use of an idiomatic way that Jews used when speaking of Gentiles, as ‘Gentile dogs’. The woman responds, ‘Yes Lord, but even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the master’s table.’ Keep in mind the larger context. The children of Israel have been fed (Matt 14:13-21) and there were twelve baskets of scraps left over. In response to the woman’s witty and faith-filled response Jesus accedes to her request and heals her daughter. In effect, Jesus changes his understanding of his mission to include Gentiles. Immediately following this episode Jesus returns to the Lakeside but now goes to the Gentile side and on this side of the Lake the number of loaves and the number of left-over baskets is seven. Within Jewish symbolism seven signifies completion or fulfilment. When considering all of these episodes and their sequence Matthew is presenting a view that Jesus’ mission is complete only when it includes the Gentiles. It is also worth noting that on this side of the Lake Jesus takes the bread and ‘gives thanks’ which in Greek is the word ‘eucharistein’. Now, when both Jew and Gentile can be fed at the table, there can be Eucharist.
At the time when the Gospels are being written this story would have been very important, for some disciples were taking the Gospel to the Gentiles, while others still thought of a mission primarily within Judaism. This episode would have helped the community to reach out beyond the narrow confines of Judaism as Jesus did on this occasion. We know from the Acts of the Apostles, that when Gentiles joined with Jewish disciples they had problems about eating together. Matthew’s Gospel in these episodes addresses this pastoral situation by indicating that real Eucharist is only possible when all are welcome to the Lord’s Table.
This Gentile woman, an outsider, is a strong character prepared to argue with Jesus as Abraham, Moses and Job once argued with God. She provides us with a good model of vigorous prayer.