Courage that comes from the heart
August 16, 2026 – Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Psalm 67, R. O God, let all the nations praise you!;
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Gospel – Matthew 15:21-28
Today’s Gospel is an inspiring story of courage and humility, and an invitation to make our communities inclusive. The relationship between the Canaanites and Israelites was complex and can somehow be described as marked by ambivalence. And in today’s passage, we can see a stance of indifference and even dismissiveness.
Given this context, we can better appreciate the courage of the Canaanite woman in approaching Jesus for help, and as the story unfolded, we witnessed her humble persistence.
A plea for compassion
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” The woman’s plea for compassion and help acknowledged Jesus as the Son of David, a Messianic title. This was an act of courage from two perspectives. She could have been and was dismissed by Jesus’ group. She could also have been ostracized by her own group for seeking help from an Israelite.
Her courage overcame this. Courage, which came from the Latin word “cor”—or the heart—which evolved into the old French “corage,” which meant the heart, the innermost feeling. And her courage came from what was deepest in the heart. Her innermost feeling and being of love for her daughter. For her, she would face and overcome all challenges.
The woman was a perfect example of genuine courage. She spoke and acted from the heart, out of love for her daughter. It was not a demand.
From courage to humility
Genuine courage is always a special expression of love, which is never demanding nor does it project a sense of entitlement. Love is humble yet steadfast and constant in its plea.
We ask ourselves: When was the last time we spoke and acted with courage? Genuine courage that comes from a deep concern, care, and love for whom or for what we are advocating—either a person or a cause that has an impact on the lives of others. That is courage.
Humility is the alter ego of courage. Or as Cicero puts it, a trusted friend, another self. This we saw in how naturally the woman transformed her plea from courage to humility.
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did Jesus’s homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”
One love, one courage powerfully expressed in this humble plea: “Please Lord, for even the dogs…” For this she gained Jesus’ admiration, who said, “‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” That is the fruit of genuine courage and humility.
An inclusive church
There is so much for us to learn from the woman and her encounter with Jesus. This encounter spoke a lot about Jesus’ vision of the church as inclusive. Although he declared that he “was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”—a statement of fact—he did not close his mind, heart, and spirit to the person before him.
Jesus listened to the woman with clarity and openness. He clearly knew his mission and identity, but it did not hinder him from listening.
The inclusive church of Jesus was synodal from the start. He listened to saints and sinners. He journeyed with them. In this case, he journeyed with the woman in their conversation until he led her to the greatness of her faith—“O woman, great is your faith!”
We live in a very grace-filled moment in the journey of our church. We are going back to our roots and foundations. Pope Francis opened this path for us. He brought us back to the mercy of God and on this renewed joy of evangelization that championed inclusiveness.
In his final years and months, I used to tell people that I pray he would not go home to the Father until he put his vision of the church on firm footing, which is a synodal church—one that listens to one another and journeys together.
When the announcement of Pope Leo XIV was made early morning here in the Philippines, I immediately Googled him. When I read he was a believer in and supporter of a synodal church, I felt joy and peace. God always gives us the graces we need.
The enduring grace of Jesus
Today’s Gospel reminds us of enduring graces for Jesus’ time here on earth: the courage and humility of the woman born out of love; Jesus’ inclusive attitude towards all, the synodality he lived out.
In the Resurrection appearance story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in the Gospel of Luke, we saw this synodality of Jesus. He listened to them, walked with them, and in the end he made their heart burn within them again.
It signaled the beginning of the missionary church to proclaim, “The Lord is Risen!”
