This week all of the readings have as a theme the sense that God has called us all, regardless of race.  When the Canaanite (non-Jewish) woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter, Jesus says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” meaning he came to save a particular people, the Jewish people.  But again and again in the gospels, we see examples of non-Jewish people who have great faith.  These Jesus often highlights as examples to follow.  And in the end, what seems to be most important to him is peoples’ faith, regardless of their culture, race, or religious practice.

I feel like God is wanting us to take away obstacles that keep people from coming to greater faith.  I feel like God is wanting us to take away things that divide us.  I think we often use our faith to divide us, as if to say, “we know the right way to God, and you do not.”  While having practices, rituals, and even rules are important for any organized religion, because these give us a sense of belonging and identity, I think we humans can sometimes take them too far and use them to keep people distant.  It feels like even Jesus had to be challenged out of his own “silo” mentality.  And the Canaanite woman does just that!

What if we trust that God is the God of all religions, and he is the beginning and ending of every faith expression?  What if instead of focusing on the things that divide us, we focus on what unites us?  There is so much goodness and love in our human family, and the dignity of human beings stands as a central core of so many faiths.  It is for that reason that on September 27 at 2 pm we will hold a multi-faith procession at Waterfront Park.  That day is The World Day of Migrants and Refugees, a Catholic Celebration, but we are inviting people of all faiths.  We hope that what binds us together will shine, which is a common believe in the sacredness of families and the sacredness of immigrants.  I hope you will mark your calendar.  Let us be united in love for our fellow human beings.  Come, all peoples!