MOVE THE FENCE
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: We live in age of growing communalism, regionalism, and nationalism. In this context, today’s readings come as a breath of fresh air. They remind us that God loves all people beyond barriers, boundaries, borders.
We pray that we may imitate God in his universal, all-inclusive love.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have created barriers and divisions, we ask God for his mercy, which is also universal.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you dialogued with the Samaritan woman:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you healed the servant of the Roman centurion:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you praised the faith of the Canaanite woman:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: God of all nations,
you invite all to your table,
and in your family no one is a stranger.
Extend to all peoples on earth
the joy of faith and salvation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Psalm Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
Response O God, let all the nations praise you.
Reading 2 Romans 9:1-5
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
Gospel Matthew 15:21-28
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are with Jesus and his disciples when the Canaanite woman comes. You witness the whole dramatic encounter. What are your feelings and thoughts?
Sunday Snippets
During the WWII, a small group of soldiers lost a buddy and wanted to bury him in a proper grave. They searched the area till they found a church with a cemetery (which had a picket fence). They found the parish priest and asked to bury their friend in the cemetery. The deceased was not a Catholic. The priest expressed his sympathy but said the cemetery was reserved for Catholics. He asked the soldiers to bury their friend just outside the fence and assured them that he would care for the grave.
One year after the War, they met and decided to visit their buddy’s grave. They found the cemetery but couldn’t find the grave. The priest saw these men looking around and went to meet them. He told them that it didn’t seem right that the soldier was buried outside the cemetery. “So, you moved the grave?” asked the friends. “No,” said the priest, “I moved the fence.”
Today’s liturgy challenges us to “move the fence” so that we can move beyond barriers and boundaries.
The Canaanite woman overcame three religious-cultural barriers to approach Jesus: she was a woman (in Semitic culture, women did not approach men); she was a widow; she was a foreigner/ gentile. She overcame three barriers from Jesus: his indifferent silence; his statement about his mission “only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”; his rebuke about not throwing children’s food to the dogs.
Nothing could deter the woman. Her persistence persuaded Jesus to “move the fence”, to go beyond boundaries—gender, ethnic, religious, and geographical—to cure her daughter.
The woman is a Canaanite but addressed Jesus as “Lord” and “Son of David”. Matthew thus presents her as a disciple and emphasises that discipleship is not restricted to Jews; it is open to anyone who believes in Jesus. Matthew affirms that God’s grace is not exclusive/ restricted; one needs only an open heart to receive it.
Isaiah (first reading) announces God’s intention to extend Israel’s privileges to all foreigners who love the Lord and join themselves to him. His house is a house of prayer “for all peoples”.
Paul (second reading) emphasises that God’s mercy is for all, whether Jew or gentile.
In an age of growing communalism and nationalism, we need this reminder of God’s universal love and imitate him.
Do I reach out to all people beyond gender, class, race, or religion? How will I imitate God in going beyond barriers and boundaries? Will I move the fence?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: “For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Is God’s house open to all people or to a few? How welcome do “strangers” feel in our churches?
Reading 2: “I am the apostle to the Gentiles.” How comfortable am I talking about Jesus to people of other faiths and persuasions?
Gospel: Have I had a request rejected (by God/ an elder)? What did it feel like? What was my response to this rejection?
How open am I to people who are “different” (gender, ideology, race, religion…) from me?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Sisters and brothers, let us bring our petitions to God our Father, who opens his heart to all people who seek him, as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may be instruments of God’s mercy, guides for all who are seeking God, and companions to those developing a relationship with God, we pray…
R: For the world: that God may turn hearts and change minds so that we may respect all people, affirm their dignity, and work to end prejudice and racism, we pray…
R: For countries and people divided by religious belief: that God’s Spirit may bring understanding and cooperation, we pray…
R: For people who have experienced prejudice and racial violence: that God may heal their hearts and help them to continue to use their gifts and talents for his glory, we pray…
R: For those affected by natural disasters: that God may ease their pain, give them strength, and renew their hope, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may open our hearts to all people, and be examples of Christian discipleship to all we meet, we pray…
L: God our Father, do not allow us ever to become a self-enclosed, self-satisfied group, but make us into a real community open to all people and all needs. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
the woman in the gospel is “just a woman”,
she isn’t Jewish.
For your disciples, she is unimportant, she does not matter;
they want you to “send her away”.
You, too, seem indifferent to her.
Why, Lord?
Were you tired or anxious? Did you need some “me time”?
The woman addresses you as “Son of David”.
She calls you “Lord.”
She believes in you as the Messiah, as God.
In her riposte to you, she seems to say:
“A person’s status does not matter as long as he/she believes.
And I do believe.”
Lord, to have faith is to be one of the sheep of Israel.
Female, Gentile, whatever else… is irrelevant;
she has the one thing that really matters: total faith.
She is a true disciple.
Lord, may I have such faith—
that engages in dialogue with you;
that goes beyond all barriers and boundaries;
that believes in your power to save;
that includes everyone.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Father of all,
make your Church a place of encounter
for all those who grope for you,
and remove all barriers to your love.
May there be room in our hearts
for all people,
whatever their race or social class,
their culture or education.
Let our world not be marred or divided
by our prejudices and fears;
let not our love be less than universal.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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