by Fr. John Martin Shimkus, O.S.B.

      It seems that inclusion and exclusion are hot topics in the Church today.  For instance, some folks are adamant about “enforcing” rules for not admitting certain people to Holy Communion, while others seem totally oblivious to the dilemma created by having those who publicly contradict biblical teaching participate fully in Eucharist.

     Jesus is presented with a similar problem: shall he bring a Canaanite woman who does not follow Jewish ways into the circle of his grace by healing her daughter?  Jesus is hesitant at first, until the woman shows by her faith (“even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters”) that God has already admitted her to the table of salvation.

     This incident in Jesus’ ministry reminds us that our judgments about people’s worthiness must always be open to the free gift of God’s love for all people.  Communion may be seen as a “special case”, subject to rules and regulations.  But here especially decisions must be made based on the spiritual good of the people involved.

     Likewise, we may reject people unjustly by deeming them unworthy of our time and attention.  Might God be reaching out to those whose appearance, lifestyle or personality quirks don’t conform to our own standards?  If he is, then Jesus’ experience with the Canaanite woman beckons us to cooperate with his grace so that the healing power of God can touch the lives of his many and diverse children!

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