The Justice of God:
The Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026
August 16, 2026
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Isaiah 56:1-7; Psalm 67; Romans 11:13-32; Matthew 15:21-28
Observe what is right, do what is just. That is a great maxim to live by. We heard it in the first reading when foreigners wanted to worship the God of Isaiah. Anyone, Jew or foreigner, who called upon the name of the Lord was welcomed to the faith because God justice includes the dignity of all people, not only one’s particular tribe. The Gospel puts this into action when a foreigner and a woman beg Jesus for help. At first, he dismisses her, and then she helps Jesus expand his consciousness and sense of compassion. She observed what was right and demanded what was just. She asserted that she was a beloved one of God too and was not forgotten. She demanded equality and equity.
As a church, we are asked to expand our consciousness, just like Jesus had to do. He evolved and so must we. We are not faithful to God if we stay within our comfortable zones and care for only those within our circles. God demands more. Our social justice proclaims the fundamental dignity of every person and this dignity does not have to be justified, acquired, or earned. This dignity is infinite because the love of God who calls us into friendship is infinite and the love of God is absolutely unconditional. We are to be like God.
Consider the plight of the Canaanite woman. She was probably at her wits end to care for her daughter and she could get no relief. She and her daughter had two strikes against them – being women and foreigners. The mother had the courage to ask for what she needed – and it paid off. As a Christian society, we have to observe what is right, do what is just. Many people suffer because of the social inequities that exist, and we have it in our power to bring justice and equity to those we put on the margins. We cannot be the ones who perpetuate the status quo or deprive people of their rights.
Over time, the church and society have been to advocate for the rights of minorities. We still act tribally and are concerned mostly for those around us. We have a long way to go especially with regards to women so that they are equally and genuinely guaranteed throughout the world. At many levels of society, women continue to endure situations of exclusion, mistreatment, and violence. We often do not listen to their voices. Globally and even locally, women are less able to defend their rights. We cannot simply state that we are for gender equality and rights, as I am doing now. These rights have to become embedded in our concrete decisions, in legal practices, access to employment, education, and social and political responsibilities. Society and the church have to listen to and to value women’s thoughts, ideas, and contributions. As long as this gap persists, we cannot say that it truly and fully recognizes that women have the same dignity as men. Women will have to tell us that. The same for minorities, like immigrants, the LGBTQIA+ communities, and so forth. We have to observe what is right, do what is just.
Jesus learned that through his dialogue with the Canaanite woman. He listened to her suffering. Listening and dialogue and then acting rightly will create a more just society. We have great work to do. It is exciting, and there are so many people along to way who have been trying to tell us. Let’s listen, and do what is just.
Scripture for Daily Mass
Monday: (Ezekiel 24) The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, by a sudden blow I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes, but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears. Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead, bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet, do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
Tuesday: (Ezekiel 28) Because you are haughty of heart, you say, “A god am I! I occupy a godly throne in the heart of the sea!”— And yet you are a man, and not a god, however you may think yourself like a god.
Wednesday: (Ezekiel 34) Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, in these words prophesy to them to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep?
Thursday (Ezekiel 36) I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations, in whose midst you have profaned it. Thus, the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.
Friday (Ezekiel 37) The hand of the LORD came upon me and led me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the center of the plain, which was now filled with bones. He made me walk among the bones in every direction so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain.
Saturday (Ezekiel 43) The angel led me to the gate which faces the east, and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. I heard a sound like the roaring of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. The vision was like that which I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like that which I had seen by the river Chebar.
Gospel:
Monday: (Matthew 19) A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
Tuesday: (Matthew 19) When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”
Wednesday (Matthew 20) "The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.'
Thursday (Matthew 22) The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet.
Friday (Matthew 22) “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Saturday (Luke 11) “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Saints of the Week
August 16: Stephen of Hungary (975-1038) tried to unite the Magyar families and was able to establish the church in Hungary through Pope Sylvester II's support. Rome crowed Stephen as the first king in 1001 and he instituted many reforms in religious and civil practices. He built churches and trained local clergy.
August 18: Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, S.J., priest (1901-1952), was a Chilean Jesuit priest, lawyer, writer and social worker who was born in the Basque region in Spain. He established Hogar de Cristo, that housed at-risk children, whether orphaned or not, and provided them food and shelter. Hurtado also supported the rise of labor union and labor rights in Chile.
August 19: John Eudes, priest (1601-1680) preached missions, heard confessions, and assisted the sick and dying. He founded a new religious order for women, which includes Our Lady of Charity and the Good Shepherd Sisters. He eventually left the Oratorians to found the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.
August 20: Bernard, Abbot and Doctor (1090-1153) became a Benedictine abbey in Citeaux because of its strict observance. He was sent to set up a new monastery in Clairvaux with 12 other monks. He wrote theological treatises, sermons, letters, and commentaries that dominated the thought of Europe. His writings had a tremendous influence of Catholic spirituality.
August 21: Pius X, pope (1835-1914), was an Italian parish priest for 17 years before he became bishop of Mantua, the cardinal patriarch of Venice, and eventually pope. He urged frequent communion for adults, sacramental catechesis for children, and continued education for everyone. He is known for rigid political policies that put him at odds with a dynamically changing world that led to World War I.
August 22: The Queenship of Mary concludes the octave of the principal feast of Mary as she celebrates her installation as queen and mother of all creation. This feast was placed on our calendar in 1954 following the dogmatic proclamation of the Assumption.
This Week in Jesuit History
- August 16, 1649: At Drogheda, Cromwell's soldiers shot Fr. John Bath and his brother, a secular priest, in the marketplace.
- August 17, 1823: Fr. Van Quickenborne and a small band of missionaries descended the Missouri River to evangelize the Indians at the request of the bishop of St. Louis. On this date in 1829, the College of St. Louis opened.
- August 18, 1952: The death of Alberto Hurtado, writer, retreat director, trade unionist and founder of "El Hogar de Christo," a movement to help the homeless in Chile.
- August 19, 1846: At Melgar, near Burgos, the birth of Fr. Luis Martin, 24th General of the Society.
- August 20, 1891: At Santiago, Chile, the government of Balmaceda ordered the Jesuit College to be closed.
- August 21, 1616: At Pont a Mousson in Lorraine died Fr. William Murdoch, a Scotchman, who when only 10 years of age was imprisoned seven months for the faith and cruelly beaten by the order of a Protestant bishop. St. Ignatius is said to have appeared to him and encouraged him to bear the cross bravely.
- August 22, 1872: Jesuits were expelled from Germany during the Bismarckian Kulturkampf.
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