20th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026 - A mission to all nations & OCIA invitation

 

As I’ve shared before, during college seminary I had the great privilege of studying for a semester in the Eternal City of Rome. And that semester included quite a few trips to St. Peter’s Basilica. In fact, even before really getting our bearings, now my dear priest friend Fr. Matthew Pfeiffer and I, went to St. Peter’s on our first day in Rome. Like countless pilgrims before us, we made our way through the streets of Rome, into Piazza San Pietro, the large piazza located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basillica, surrounded by that iconic colonnade.

The colonnade was designed by the Italian architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini, under the direction of Pope Alexander VII in the mid-1600s. 284 Doric columns surround the piazza to resemble the welcoming arms of the Church, like a mother embracing all of her children. What a beautiful symbol for the nature and mission of Mother Church to embrace and gather all the peoples of the world.

The Scripture readings on this 20^th Sunday of Ordinary Time have this theme of the universal embrace—the universal mission of the Church—a mission to every race and culture. The Church is to be a home and hospital and sign and instrument of communion for the entire human family.

The Lord Jesus died for the salvation of all peoples of all places. And while his mission was to save all of humanity, he never traveled outside of the Holy Land, to Rome or Spain or Athens or the Canary Islands or to these shores of course. Rather those countries and the rest of the world would come to know Christ’s salvation, through us, through the preaching and teaching of His body, the Church.

The Church is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in the first reading: “my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.” In the Psalm, as well, we offer the prayer of the people of God that one day, “all the nations of the earth” might praise God, together.  In the second Reading, St. Paul explains how God's mercy is for all people--all of us are sinners, but Christ died for all, so that all people might be reconciled to God.

And then in our Gospel reading, we hear of this gentile woman approaching Jesus for salvation for her daughter. And she wasn’t just any Gentile, she was a Canaanite, one of the great historic enemies of the Jewish people. And for coming to Jesus, begging salvation from him, Jesus praises her. She receives praise that not one of Jesus’ disciples, not one of the apostles receives. The Lord says to her, “great is your faith!” And her faith becomes a conduit of healing and deliverance for her family.

Salvation, healing, deliverance, the joy of knowing Christ in this life and in life everlasting. This is why we approach Jesus in faith, this is why we take membership in his Church so seriously. And this is why we need to take seriously our call to evangelize. Because God wants all peoples on earth to know and love Jesus Christ and be saved. And that happens through our witness—showing the world that being Catholic matters, and that it is vitally important, eternally important.

Do you talk about the Church with love? With joy? Do your children and grandchildren hear from your lips that the Mass matters, that confession is a gift, that prayer is vital to you, that Jesus Christ has changed your life? Do your neighbors and coworkers know that your faith is not simply a private hobby, but the center of who you are?

Evangelization does not always begin with a theological argument. Often it begins with a simple witness: “I go to Mass because I need the Lord.” “I went to confession and found peace.” “I will pray for you.” “Would you like to come to a church event with me?” “Our parish has been a place of grace for my family.” These are not complicated words. But spoken with sincerity, they can open a door.

And we should not underestimate the power of invitation. Many people are waiting to be invited. Many people who have drifted from the Church are not hostile; they are wounded, distracted, embarrassed, or unsure how to return. A personal invitation from someone they trust may be the first step of their journey home.

The Canaanite woman’s faith became a conduit of healing for her daughter. So too, our faith can become a conduit of grace for others. Our prayer, our gentleness and sincerity, our love for the Church, our willingness to speak of Christ—these can become instruments by which the Lord brings healing and deliverance to families, to parishes, and to souls.

This weekend, in the bulletin is a flyer for OCIA formerly called RCIA—the program and process for Adults to become Catholic. Maybe some of you here are not members of the Church. Please know you are welcome to find out more about full membership in the Church, give me a call or shoot me an email. For those of you who are already full members, that flyer can be given to someone who isn’t. There’s likely someone in your life, who you can invite. I recommend praying for them this week, and then making the invitation. Pray for the openness to God. And pray for your own courage to make the invitation. You can simply say, hi, I’ve been praying for you, when my pastor brought this up at church, I thought of you, if you are interested, please know you are more than welcome and I’d be willing to pray with you and answer any questions that I can and find out answers to those I don’t know.” It’s a simple invitation that will change peoples lives for the better.

It's an act of love to care about a soul enough to want them to experience the fullness of life that is available to us as Catholics. For out of love, Christ died for all. And out of love Christ sends us to gather all of humanity into the arms of mother Church, to embrace and live his truth, to be filled with his life and his grace, and thereby become the people God made us to be, and to receive the gift of eternal life through faith for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024 - Last Supper and Eucharist foreshadowed

This weekend, we begin a five-week stretch of reading from chapter 6 of St. John’s Gospel in which the Lord feeds the large crowd through the miracle of multiplication then teaches them about the Bread of Life. This passage introduces us to concepts the Lord will realize at the Last Supper when he institutes the Eucharist.

Many non-Catholics deny that the Gospel of the miraculous multiplication has any connection with what Catholics the Sacrament of the Eucharist. But the connections are overwhelming.

First of all, notice that John records Jesus performing this miracle on Passover. Passover—the same jewish feast on which Jesus institutes the Eucharist at the Last supper.

Secondly, note that for this miracle Jesus sits down with his disciples on the mountain, just as later he sits with disciples on Mount Zion to celebrate the Last Supper. His posture is a connection with the Last supper.

And not only his posture, but note that commands the people to recline. At the last supper we read of St. John reclining on the breast of Jesus. It’s the only other time that posture is highlighted in the entire Gospel. 

Fourthly, note that at the heart of the miracle account, John describes Jesus multiplying the loaves by utilizing specific actions. he takes the loaves and gives thanks—identical actions to those at the Last Supper. And recall that the Greek word for giving thanks is “Eucharisteo”, which was the early church word for the celebration of the Mass.

John also describes the remains that were left over after the multiplication—the klasmata—in the Greek—the parts broken off—which echoes the Last Supper accounts of Jesus “breaking the bread” into fragments.

In the teaching that follows throughout the remainder of John chapter 6, which, again, we’ll be reading over the next four weeks, we’ll see even more themes that are repeated in the Last Supper. For example, in two weeks, we’ll hear of Jesus teaching about the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have eternal life. Jesus foreshadows his own changing of bread and wine into his flesh and blood at the last supper and commanding his disciples to do this in memory of him.

With so many clear connections to the Last Supper and our church doctrine on the Eucharist, why do non-Catholic fail to get the point? Why do these insist on a non-Eucharistic reading of John Chapter six? It’s likely because they have separated themselves from the Church’s celebration of the Eucharist. They have done away with bishops who can ordain priests who alone can confect the Eucharist. So they falsely interpret the scriptures based on their separation from the deposit of faith.

But the Catholic Church, going all the way back to the apostolic age, has taught the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Consider the words of St. Justin Martyr from the year 150, whose feast day was back on the first day of June.

And this is a bit of a long passage, but it’s so fascinating. St. Justin writes, “And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place, and the memoirs of the apostles (the Gospels), or the writings of the prophets (like our first reading) are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the presider verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things (as I’m doing now, in the homily). Then, we all rise together and pray (like we’ll do in the general intercessions), and…when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the presider in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings…and the people assent, saying “Amen”; and there is a distribution to each, and a partaking of the eucharisted substances, and to those who are absent, a portion is sent by the deacons.

So already in the year 150, we see the structure of the mass that we celebrate today.

And this food is called among us eucharistia, of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things we teach are true…For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but…we have been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word…is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks said, “Do this in remembrance of me, this is my body” and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, “This is my blood” and gave it to them alone."

So the doctrine of the real presence, is also clearly articulated in 150, just a few decades after the death of the last apostle.

Now consider what our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians adds to the conversation here. In the second reading Paul urged the Ephesians to strive for unity. This is why denominationalism and schism are not from God—Christians are not to separate ourselves from the teachings of the apostles. St. Paul urges unity, because Jesus at the last supper taught his apostles to remain as one, as he and the Father are one. 

And it is not a coincidence that the Lord’s own teaching on unity occurred while he was instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the great sacrament of unity in which all people of all places are invited to believe and partake. Now of course, you should not partake, as St. Justin said, if you do not believe, if you are not part of the communion of the Catholic church. 

This is why we have the RCIA process each year. Every year hundreds of thousands of non-Catholics around the world hear the Lord calling them to the communion he emphasized at the last supper in order to be fed with the Bread of Life. 

Here at St. Ignatius RCIA, which will be called OCIA henceforth, the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, will begin mid-September. So get praying now for that non-Catholic friend who is searching for a spiritual home. Perhaps say a novena for them, or a daily rosary for them, or make a holy hour for them, come and kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and pray that they can respond to Jesus’ invitation. And then, give them the OCIA flyer in a few weeks. Tell them that you’ll accompany them, if they’d like—how they’ll no doubt find the thing that they have been looking for, here. 

Last week, I asked you all to read through and try memorizing the 23rd Psalm. I’d love to hear how that went for you. But, consider how even that Psalm foreshadows the Eucharist. How our Divine Shepherds walks with us through the dark valleys and leads us to the table at which he feeds us for our earthly journey that we make come to the eternal banquet of heaven. There are so many souls whom he wants to lead here, to the table of the Eucharist. By our Eucharistic celebration may become effective instruments of our shepherd, instruments of Eucharistic faith, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.