Newsletter – 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A.

REFLECTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE – by Lisa-Marie Calderone-Stewart

In Jesus’ time the Jewish faith had very strict dietary laws regarding what foods could be eaten and what kinds of dishes the food could be eaten from. On the other hand, Gentiles could eat anything. Some Jews likened them to dogs, who would often be given leftover food to eat off the ground. So when Jesus and this woman speak about children and dogs, they are definitely talking about the Jews and the Gentiles.

This Gentile woman is brave, standing up to the disciples and even to Jesus. She has a point to make, and they listen. Have you ever been that persistent in a conversation with someone who had ‘higher’ status than you? If so, what happened?

Does our society think of some people as ‘dogs’? If so, who are the dogs of our society? Who is seen as holding lower status? What is your usual response to people such as these? What would be the Christian response that Jesus calls us to? What makes that such a difficult response?

Do you have any close friends who are Jewish? If you have friends who are Orthodox Jews, then they still obey certain dietary rules. Have you ever heard them talk of kosher foods? What kinds of things do they eat?

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